A MAJOR plan to build a new walking and cycling bridge across the River Avon has taken a big leap forward.

The proposals to build the new bridge in Hampton in Evesham were backed by Worcestershire County Council's cabinet at a meeting last Thursday (March 18) which will now allow work to progress.

The idea was first put forward as part of developer Bellway's plan to build hundreds of homes in Hampton in 2014 with the developer expected to foot much of the bill.

Delays were caused by years of negotiations between the developer and the county council over paying for the bridge.

The new bridge will link Hampton with Evesham town centre giving people access to schools, employment and transport links.

The council said the bridge would also help tackle congestion problems in Evesham, improve journey times and improve air quality by providing an alternative to driving for short journeys.

Evesham councillor John Smith, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said he was disappointed that housing developer Bellway had taken so long to agree to fulfil its promise of funding the bridge.

“They were trying to get out of this, which I’m really very sorry about,” he told cabinet.

“This scheme will take many months and in some cases years to come to fruition but this is an important link and the first major item [in the scheme]. It supports walking and cycling and improving health and the ability to do these exercises so I am absolutely delighted [to support it].”

Cllr Ken Pollock, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said the bridge would take traffic away from the congested Abbey Bridge in Evesham as well as help tackle obesity in the county and support pedestrians and cyclists.

“In terms of cash, most of it is available from section 106 applications, we’ll have allocated half a million pounds ourselves and we will probably require another million or so to complete the whole operation,” he said. “Hampton Bridge will be a great addition to Evesham."