A DISUSED tunnel at the centre of a battle between the government and local campaigners has been named one of the most endangered historic structures in the UK.

Queensbury Tunnel has been included on the Victorian Society's annual top 10 list of buildings that are most at risk of being lost.

In recent years the tunnel has been in the headlines due to plans by Highways England’s Historic Railway Estates to fill in the tunnel, which they say is dangerous and at risk of collapse.

It has put them at odds with the Queensbury Tunnel Society - a group of local residents who want the tunnel turned into a cycleway that could make it the centrepiece of a network connecting Halifax to Bradford and Keighley.

In a few weeks Bradford Council will decide whether to approve a planning application to infill the tunnel, blocking it forever.

National architecture charity the Victorian Society has released their annual Top 10 Most Endangered Buildings List which highlights the most at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings and structures throughout England and Wales.

The public nominate buildings to be featured in the list, and the Victorian Society then decides the most endangered from these public nominations.

On Queensbury Tunnel, the Society says: "The now rapidly deteriorating tunnel symbolises the irreplaceable infrastructure legacy left to us by the Victorians.

"Built by the Great Northern Railway, it was the longest tunnel on the company's network at the time of its opening in 1878.

"It is currently abandoned and flooded with water.

"It is also at the centre of a heated debate between campaigners, who want the tunnel restored to be a cycle path, and the Department for Transport (DfT), which wants to fill in sections of the tunnel with concrete and then leave it to collapse.

"We hope it will be used to give new life to the communities it connects rather than being lost forever."

Christopher Costelloe, Director of the Victorian Society, added: ‘Queensbury Tunnel could be the heart of a new transport revolution, bringing cyclists and tourists to this part of Yorkshire.

"If it is filled-in this irreplaceable asset will be lost for ever. Bath’s Two Tunnels cycleway has been a triumphant success and there is no reason why Yorkshire – now the beating heart of British cycling - couldn’t do the same."

Norah McWilliam, leader of the Queensbury Tunnel Society,said: "We’re very grateful to The Victorian Society for highlighting the precarious position Queensbury Tunnel currently finds itself in and the structure’s considerable value as a strategic asset.

“In the midst of a climate emergency, we cannot allow ignorance and hysteria on the part of Highways England and the DfT to deny future generations the benefits of this remarkable engineering feat in terms of active travel.

"It has the potential to attract tourists and boost the economy by playing a key role in a route linking two large population centres. We need to be investing in great infrastructure, not destroying it.

“It’s encouraging that Highways England’s planning application for the tunnel’s abandonment - which involves letting most of it collapse below Queensbury - has so far attracted more than 3,700 objections. As well as being technically flawed, it conflicts both with national and local planning policies, and the DfT’s own aspirations to encourage more walking and cycling.

“We urge as many people as possible to object to the abandonment scheme before the opportunities presented by the tunnel are lost forever.”

Highways England has maintained the tunnel needs to be closed to reduce the risk to the community around it.

The other buildings that make up the list are

• Shadwell Court - Norfolk, a country mansion built in the Gothic style.

• Chatterley Whitfield Colliery - Staffordshire

• Everton Library - Liverpool

• Hulme Hippodrome - Manchester

• Cowbridge School - Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

• Pelican Works, Birmingham

• Former Church of St Luke - Warrington, Cheshire

• Former Leslie Arms Public House - Croydon, London

• Corn Exchange/ Former Town Hall - Swindon

Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society, said: “It is both inspiring and saddening to see this list. Who would have thought that a call to arms would reveal such a wealth of distinguished and absorbing architecture? From libraries to pubs to gorgeous theatres, these are gems. We are not looking at the second rate here. We are looking at real historical monuments - and yet we can only be taken aback. All of these historic sites are glorious and imaginative places ready for a new and productive life. How incredible that should feature on the Top Ten Endangered Buildings list.

"Let us hope that people spring into action and pay attention…”