Issued December 6, 2011
Work will begin on safer crossing for walkers and
cyclists over River Swale
Work begins in January on creating a better
and safer route for walkers and cyclists along the old iron railway
bridge at Brompton-on-Swale.
People travelling on foot, bike and horseback
are currently forced to use the busy Catterick Bridge, but once the
traffic-free bridge is complete will have a safer alternative.
Houseman and Falshaw, a Harrogate company, has
been appointed by Sustrans the charity leading the bridge
improvements - to start work in the New Year. The bridge crossing
will form part of a larger project linking Brompton to Colburn and
Catterick, delivering a series of new off-road links that will form
part of Sustrans’ National Cycle Network.
Brompton-on-Swale Parish Council chairman
Andrew Guest says: ‘We are absolutely delighted that these
improvements are going ahead. It was back in 2004 that the
Council first highlighted this dangerous crossing and what could be
done to improve safety.’
Sustrans’ Director in Yorkshire, David Hall,
said: ‘This has been a real community-driven project and it’s
incredibly satisfying that work is about to begin. The new
river crossing will provide a much safer alternative to the road
bridge and will overcome a major barrier to walking and cycling in
the area. It will improve connections to the local cycle network
and transform the appeal of human powered daily journeys for many
people’.
The scheme is part of a national project to
extend Sustrans’ National Cycle Network into communities across the
UK using money from the Big Lottery Fund.
As part of the project, a “portrait bench”
will be installed along the route, featuring steel portraits of
three local characters. Brompton Parish Council is currently
seeking nominations for three people who have been associated with
the river, the bridge or the railway. Nominations have already been
put forward of a Roman soldier, and soldiers from the first and
second World Wars who travelled over the bridge up to the Catterick
Camp. Other ideas include commemorating the twelve people who died
in the tragic explosion at Catterick Bridge station in 1944.
Please send your nominations to the Brompton
Parish Council c/o
Mrs Margaret Lowery, Clerk of
Brompton-on-Swale Parish Council, 32 Honeypot, Road
Brompton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire DL10 7HT
Tel: 01748-818008
Tel: 07591-602260
Email: bosparishclerk@fsmail.net
- The bridge project has been taken forward by
a partnership including Sustrans, Brompton on Swale Parish Council,
North Yorkshire County Council, Richmondshire District Council,
Richmond Swale Valley Community Initiative, Swaledale Outdoor Club
and the British Horse Society.
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