IN the brilliant French novel Clochemerle, the residents of a small provincial village are up in arms when the town council puts up a urinal in the village square, right in front of the church entrance (the English translation is well worth reading!).

There is something of the Clochemerle about the situation in Gargrave, where the parish council is under fire for its suggestion that a footbridge should be built across the Aire.

It has provoked a storm of protest and there does appear to be a huge amount of opposition to the plan.

Having seen the volume of protest, it might be best if the parish council in Gargrave withdraws its plan, or at least submits the proposal to a full referendum but we see no reason why they should be personally criticised for their initiative.

Indeed, if anything, they can be proud that they are one of the few villages in Craven with the imagination and determination to actually put forward a realistic project and bring it closer to reality (always, of course, excepting the famous stripping matrons of Rylstone).

While other villages are pussyfooting around, thinking vaguely of a street party here, putting in a bench there or taking the odd photograph, Gargrave's parish council has actually gone out and got on with creating something that future generations will be able to look at and use for many generations to come.

What's more, the council has certainly done its homework. Its plans clearly have been well researched and accusations that they have not consulted the locals are not correct. Indeed, don't we elect people on to parish councils to come up with ideas and bring them to fruition? Some of the criticism against the parish council has been unfair and unjustified.

Having said that, the people of Gargrave have clearly spoken and a bridge over the river looks a non-starter unless there is a remarkable turn-round in opinion.

The parish council has tried its best and on the face of it a bridge sounds a good idea. If the locals don't want it then the council should beat an honourable retreat.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.