ALCESTER town councillors are reserving judgement over controversial proposals to build a bridge over the River Arrow which would create a cycle route across a popular nature reserve.

They have been asked by Warwickshire County Council to approve one of four possible paths which would link the Conway Fields to the River Arrow Nature Reserve, and provide a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists travelling to and from the town's schools.

The scheme has been put forward by Advantage Alcester and the county's Safer Routes for Schools department, and is in its pre-consultation stage.

If it goes ahead it would be funded and maintained by the county council with support from Sustrans .

As one of the landowners involved, the town council has the power to scupper the scheme, but clerk Derrick Ward has advised councillors not to reveal their hand until they have more facts.

Residents from Ragley Mill Lane, which would form part of the route, attended Monday's town council meeting to put their views to county council representative Stephen Bones.

They questioned the need for the scheme and asked how many pupils would benefit given that few local children need to get to Alcester Grammar School and those going to schools on the other side of town would have to go out of their way to get to the proposed paths.

They also raised concerns about the flood plain and said the route would be under water for part of the year.

The biggest objection to the scheme, however, is the impact on the nature reserve which, says its chairman Cliff Meade, would be destroyed.

"The real question that the town has to be asked is 'do you want a nature reserve?' Because one thing that's certain is that the nature reserve will go as soon as this bridge appears.

"You can put up a thousand notices saying not to ride motorbikes along it, but they will do it.

"People can predict right now what will happen. The nature reserve will turn into a squalid piece of land with old mattresses and cars and people will wish that they did not live alongside it."

Local historian Pauline Sands objects to the scheme because of its proximity to the former priory and also said it would be the start of "complete urbanisation".

Town and county councillor Nina Knapman challenged the town clerk's advice and said the council should not sit on the fence.

"If we want people to feel the nature reserve can be sacrificed at any cost, then fine, let's sit on the fence.

"But I do think we can express an opinion, and if they, the county counci,l get an opinion from the town council which is negative, they won't waste money."

Councillors agreed to tell the county council that they have "serious reservations about the scheme" and cannot support it until all the facts are known.