Introduction
Efforts to construct a footbridge across the River Wharfe at Burley date back at least to 1898 when the former Burley Urban District Council minutes record on November 1st "That the Wharfedale RDC be asked if they will take steps along with Burley UDC to get a footbridge over the River Wharfe at Greenholme, seeing that accidents have already occurred, one lately proving fatal".
Precedent
A powerful precedent has already been established for a bridge over the River Wharfe at Greenholme Farm near Burley-in-Wharfedale on the boundary between Bradford MDC and the county of North Yorkshire.
This precedent was established when in 1999 both local authorities approved a planning application submitted by the Burley Bridge Association for a footbridge crossing the top of the weir.
This planning permission was renewed in 2004.
The implementation of this planning approval has not been proceeded with because of difficulties in obtaining footpath creation orders needed to link the bridge to the adjacent rights of way network.