Bid for £30m to repair two landmark river bridges

A bid for £30m to pay for the repair of one landmark river bridge in Selby and the possible replacement of another has been sent to government ministers.

North Yorkshire councillors unanimously backed the bid when they met in the town on Wednesday and heard "numerous structural components" within the toll bridge are "nearing end of life".

They were also briefed on the state of the A63 bypass swing bridge, which has been unable to swing open for boats on the River Ouse since 2022 and is currently subject to a 20mph speed restriction.

If the Department for Transport agrees, the funding would be used for "extensive repairs" to the bypass bridge and repair or replacement of the toll bridge.

Labour member Jack Proud represents the Selby East division, which includes both the toll bridge and the bypass bridge.

"It is massive, it affects everyone - the businesses, the market, the potential for future investment," he said.

"When they invest they want to know they can get into and out of the town. Those bridges are absolutely critical."

After repeated repairs, he said the toll bridge now required replacing.

"It's made out of wood," he said.

"We know it will be disruptive for residents, me included, but the long-term future of the town depends on having a bridge that will be open long term."

Steve Shaw-Wright, who leads North Yorkshire Council's Labour group and represents Selby West, said: "I believe this is the biggest decision the council can make for this end of the county. If this goes wrong, we are cut off.

"It sounds dramatic but it's true. If the bridges are closed, how do you get to hospital, to medical appointments, to school?

"Hopefully the bid is accepted and we get some, if not all of the money.

"Then the real decisions start on the bridge's design, how it's going to fit, how you close the original one and how are you going to get people across the river while it's shut."

Shaw-Wright said an idea to place a temporary bridge a mile further down the river while the work was done was "a non-runner".

"It's just too far away, any temporary bridge needs to be closer to the bridge itself," he said.

Philip Richardson, the council's bridge manager, told the meeting it was "borderline" whether the authority should be looking to repair or replace the toll bridge.

"We think we could do a better job by replacing it, that is the way we are going," he said.

"We're aware it would be a bigger intervention, but would provide a better crossing point. Cyclists and pedestrians currently have very limited space."

Richardson said the A63 bypass bridge won't be able to swing open again before some "fairly extensive and expensive" engineering work.

The 20mph speed limit would have to remain in place until any work was completed.

Richardson put the cost of replacing the toll bridge at £25m, while repairing the bypass bridge would be £5m.

If the bid was successful, the terms of the process say all work had to be completed by March 2030.

"The timescale is tight," Richardson added.

Conservative Mark Crane, who represents the Selby area's Brayton and Barlow division, is the recently appointed deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council.

He said it was "vital" for Selby that the bridges are repaired as he "cannot overstate" how important they are for Selby's economy and residents.

"The council is already lobbying and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to work with the Department for Transport to get this support," he said.

The toll bridge was rebuilt in 1969 by the privately owned Selby Bridge Company, before being passed to the then North Yorkshire County Council in 1991 to maintain and operate.

The bypass bridge was built in 2004 by the Highways Agency.

Responsibility for its operation and maintenance passed to North Yorkshire County Council in 2007 as part of the "de-trunking" of the A63.

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