HORSERIDERS and parish councils are fighting plans to rebuild a footbridge across the River Nidd at Kirk Hammerton, near Harrogate.
North Yorkshire County Council is applying for planning permission to replace a toll bridge, which was demolished 40 years ago.
The application will mean the reinstatement of a direct route, on foot, between Tockwith and Kirk Hammerton.
But Tockwith, and Bilton in Ainsty with Bickerton parish councils have opposed the plan on the grounds that the new bridge will not be suitable for horseriders, cyclists, and the disabled.
The British Horse Society and the Harrogate Bridleways Association have also objected.
Harrogate Rambling Club, the Ramblers Association and Harrogate Borough Council are also opposing the plan.
In a report, Mike Moore, the county's director of environmental services, said: "It will be a simple under-stated structure with a black steel railing parapet.
"It will enhance the recreational and amenity value of the rights of way network."
On Tuesday, members of a county council planning committee will be advised to approve the footbridge. But unlike the one removed in the 1960s, pedestrians will not be asked to pay a toll.
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