Is plan for new river crossing a bridge too far?

It sounds amazing - but will it happen? DANIEL HOLLAND on the issues that could stand in the way of a new bridge over the Tyne

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EXCITING designs unveiled last week have sparked hopes that a new footbridge could be built across the River Tyne. But how likely is it to become a reality?

The proposed pedestrian crossing forms part of a masterplan for the Forth Yards regeneration area - a huge building blueprint for 52 acres of ex-industrial land to the west of the city centre that includes 2,500 new homes.

Newcastle City Council bosses say the bridge, which would be next to the existing Redheugh Bridge - a long-term ambition to boost connectivity to a long-awaited development hailed as a "game-changer for the city".

But civic centre officials are already cautioning that the bridge would be a "costly and complex" piece of infrastructure to deliver and that new homes are their priority. And that house-building is complex enough in itself.

Development on the derelict former Calders lead works site, next to the Utilita Arena, has stalled for years because of the cost of remediating contaminated land and putting in the required infrastructure.