A £300,000 plan to enhance the historic riverside area in Stokesley town centre has been approved despite vociferous objections.

Objectors to the scheme say it would exacerbate safety issues and spoil a quintessential part of the town's character.

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Hambleton District Council's planning committee heard Stokesley Town Council had spent years developing the scheme to open access to "a hidden gem" of an area in the centre of the town which had fallen into disrepair.

The meeting was told the initiative, funding for which is yet to be applied for, would see the works to the majority of the south bank of the River Leven, a short section of the north bank and some in-river works.

It would see the narrow Golden Lion plank bridge replaced with a steel footbridge and paving slabs substituted for a wider footpath with a resin bound gravel surface.

Benches would be relocated, various signs highlighting the area's heritage installed and planting and boulders placed near the river to prevent unsafe parking.

Town councillor David Oxley told the meeting that the Levenside area was a major asset and attraction for Stokesley, but the path was too narrow for wheelchairs and pushchairs and due to river erosion and tree roots there were tripping hazards.

He said: "It is quite dangerous. Our key project aim is to provide a footpath that links Levenside to the High Street and is safe, visually attractive in keeping with the conservation area and is accessible to all."

However, numerous residents disputed that the development would address safety issues as there was no record of accidents on the existing plank bridge.

In a letter of objection to the application, Dr Phil Barber said the plank bridge was "a quintessential part of Stokesley's character and our own family history".

He said: "As an engineer, I am concious of the need for STEM inspiration of the younger generation, and the structure has both minimalist and architectural attributes. It would be a shame to replace this with an anonymous mass produced structure, conforming to pointless standards."

Other objectors said the proposed footpath was unnecessarily wide and could encourage cyclists and skateboarders, creating hazards.

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Other objectors said the width of the proposed footpath was unnecessarily wide which will make it look incongruous and also encourage use by cyclists and skateboarders, creating potential health and safety issues.

However, the committee heard the town council being praised for the initiative, and the objectors' concerns were rejected by councillors before the scheme was approved.

Stokesley town, district and county councillor Bryn Griffiths said although the scheme had been seen by some to have a negative impact on the conservation area, the "negatives had been overstated and are more than outweighed by the large public benefits which will accrue from implementing the proposals".

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