PLANS for Curzon Street footbridge in Burnley to be demolished have been criticised.

The scheme would start the process of clearing the town’s open market and knocking down the nearby former cinema building.

Cllr Gordon Birtwistle, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat group and former MP for Burnley, said has said knocking down the footbridge is the ‘last thing they should do’.

MORE TOP STORIES:

He said: “It will hit footfall in the indoor market which is remaining open.

“How can they demolish this bridge which is the main way for customers and traders to get from the car park over Curzon Street to the indoor market?

“They should not do this until they have cleared the site and have a proper plan in place for what replaces the open market and cinema buildings.”

Council leader Cllr Mark Townsend said the measures were essential both on safety grounds and to redevelop the area for leisure and retail use.

Since stallholders were told in February of the demolition scheme the open market has been run down with the last event being a flea market in September.

Now the council’s Regeneration Department has applied for planning permission to demolish the footbridge and canopy linking the multi-storey car park in Curzon Street with the market complex on the other side of the road.

It says this is ‘part of the strategic redevelopment of Burnley town centre’.

Cllr Townsend said: “This is the first part of a package involving the clearing of the open market and demolition for the old cinema block.

“The indoor market will remain open.

“The scheme is needed on safety grounds as blocks have been falling of the old cinema building and the ramp behind.

“We cannot afford the cost of repair and maintenance for what is in effect a derelict building.

“We have surveyed usage of the footbridge and hardly anyone crosses it.

“We hope to develop the site for retail and leisure use, but need to clear it so we can investigate the lower ground floor areas where we believe there may be some technical problems.

“Until that is done we cannot seek a development partner for the site.

“Removing it is also something Addington Capital, the owners of Charter Walk, and Primark, who are taking over the Wilko store on the other side of Curzon Street, have asked for.”

Stalls in the main market are said to be 83 per cent occupied and there are still 24,500 market visitors each week.