A £500,000 plan to transform a historic bridge to make it suitable for a busy commuter route has been recommended for approval, despite concerns from heritage bodies.
North Yorkshire County Council officers said action is needed to make the 18th century Tanton Bridge Stokesley fit for the demands of the 21st century by widening it, following a series of incidents resulting in road closures and costly repairs.
The authority said the grade II listed arched ashlar sandstone structure over the River Tame is very narrow for HGV vehicles, did not feature footpaths and only allowed a single vehicle to pass over it at a time.
It said the bridge, which has seen a number of collisions in recent years, was also facing increased traffic demand due to new housing being built to the south of the bridge on the B1365.
Ahead of the authority’s planning committee considering the scheme next week, officers have stated in a report that the harm proposed to the grade II listed structure was outweighed by the need for public benefit and highway safety through the widening and repair of the bridge.
They added the proposed development would not have a detrimental impact upon the character of the site or historic environment.
However, both Historic England and The Council for British Archaeology have objected to the proposal, with the latter stating it would “result in the loss of evidential, architectural and aesthetic value causing substantial harm to its heritage significance”.
A Historic England spokesman added the scheme would cause “substantial harm to the significance” of the grade II listed building.
He added: “We are not convinced that there is a clear and convincing justification for the harm as there appear to be more practicable alternatives to help reduce accident damage which would cause less harm to the significance of the listed structure.”
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