THE controversial footbridge linking the Herons Leisure Centre in Kings Road and the Tesco supermarket in Wey Hill is nowhere near a reality, Waverley borough councillor Ann Mugford admitted this week.

At a joint meeting of Haslemere and Waverley councillors on Tuesday night, Mrs Mugford (Con), said a contract for the footbridge had not even been drawn up.

She said: "The Liberal Democrats promised in their election campaign that if they won the contract would be signed. The reality of it is that we are nowhere near a contract situation.

"There was no contract ready to sign, no accepted design nor any financial provision made by the previous Waverley administration. "Why? The Herons swallowed up hugely more than its allotted sum."

Mrs Mugford continued: "All that has happened this week is that consulting engineers Robert West have handed over all their papers on design to Waverley.

"It is impossible to insert any further schemes into the capital programme for this financial year. This autumn we will be deciding which schemes can have capital finance allocation for the year 2000/2001.

"There are quite a few steps to go through and unfortunately we are nowhere near in a position to start," she said.

Mrs Mugford added: "However, I presume the Liberal Democrats will join with us in wishing to see this project come to fruition."

Town councillor Michael Biddiscombe (Lib Dem), said the Liberal Democrats had promised the footbridge would be built if they won the election.

"By implication, this meant a contract would be signed. We were well aware of the complications of costing but we went out to public consultation to see whether the public still wanted the footbridge in light of the increased costs and they said very firmly that they did.

"The Conservatives did not even want the consultation to happen," he pointed out.

He continued: "One would assume now that the Conservatives are preparing the ground to back off a little and noises would suggest they are having a look at the possibility of abandoning the scheme."

Mr Biddiscombe added: "A tremendously firm promise has been given to the public that the footbridge will be built and the Conservatives will have to find the ways and means of doing it"

p The footbridge has always been included as part of the leisure centre and supermarket project.

Plans for the footbridge were withdrawn from the overall contract for the construction of the Herons two years ago, after Railtrack changed its requirements regarding the specifications for the bridge.

Waverley felt Railtrack's requirements that the bridge should be enclosed with solid sides and a roof would "put people off" using it, as well as having "significant cost implications".

A second design incorporating Railtrack's requirements was drawn up and the borough council later revealed plans to carry out a further public consultation exercise early last year, after councillors discussed a number of options to the bridge, including a bus link between the two sites.

In November 1998 Waverley said it would press ahead with plans for the footbridge after an overwhelming majority came out in favour of the project following the public consultation exercise.

Nearly 70 per cent of the people polled were in favour of the footbridge being built, with 52 per cent saying the bridge would be a good use of taxpayers' money.

However, Haslemere's Liberal Democrats claimed last month that the £1 million overspend on the Herons Leisure Centre would mean the end of the scheme to build the footbridge.

The Liberal Democrats claimed the public were being prepared for an announcement that the bridge would not be built, although Mrs Mugford rubbished the claims, saying she "knew nothing of what the Liberal Democrats were talking about".