A public inquiry will decide the future of a bridge that has been a key feature of the North Shields skyline for decades.
Council chiefs have been trying for years to tear down the Borough Road footbridge, claiming it is poorly used and too costly to repair. But campaigners bidding to save it are now hoping a government inspector will side with them.
The North Tyneside Public Transport Users Group (PTUG) has argued that the bridge, which connect Waldo Street and Tennyson Terrace, is both an important part of the town’s heritage and a key route for people who want to avoid the traffic on the busy bank below it – particularly children, parents with prams, and the disabled. A public inquiry has now been set for January 17 next year, where an inspector will decide whether to allow the council to abolish the Public Right of Way on the bridge – effectively determining its future.
