There are hopes 14 new street lights will be ready to illuminate the River Ure Bridge in time for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Boroughbridge next year.
Boroughbridge Town Council is behind plans to light up the historic bridge as people at night. There has been a bridge on the site since at least the 12th century.
However, last week the town council withdrew its planning application after Harrogate Borough Council’s principal conservation officer Emma Gibbens wrote in an email that the brushed steel and modern design of the light fittings “erodes the traditional character” of the bridge.
Boroughbridge Town Council clerk John Nichols called the council’s verdict a “setback” but said it hopes to work with HBC on a new application to ensure the lights are beaming in time for the anniversary on March 16, 2022.
The scheme to light the bridge was recently awarded £13,000 from North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner following the sale of the force’s historic AJ1 number plate.
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The Battle of Boroughbridge took place on March 16, 1322, when the bridge was a key element of the encounter between Edward II and his cousin the Earl of Lancaster.
A small army of retreating rebels under the Earl of Lancaster was held at the bridge itself by a larger group of men loyal to the King.
Attempts to negotiate a truce failed and the one-sided battle resulted in the surrender and subsequent execution of Lancaster.
