FEARS that £300,000 of lottery funding to help finance a long-awaited crossing over the River Stour could be lost have finally been dispelled.

Dorset County Council’s cabinet had been recommended to reject a scheme aimed at connecting Throop in Bournemouth to Hurn in Christchurch, ensuring the safety of cyclists, walkers and horse riders.

But county councillors decided to back an alternative recommendation and identify a suitable route, ensuring vital funding is not lost.

At the moment the only routes from North Bournemouth to Hurn are via two busy A-roads or by a footpath with a narrow footbridge.

The decision has been greeted with relief by Bournemouth councillors and means that a Connect2 bid for the Bournemouth project and £300,000 in National Lottery funding is still assured.

Cllr Ron Whittaker, ward councillor for Throop and Muscliff, who has been campaigning for the scheme for 20 years, said: “This is absolutely fantastic news. Common sense has prevailed.

“We have been talking about this for 20 years. It’s only in the last 20 months that we have worked together to get a route that’s acceptable to all the parties concerned.”

He added that the scheme still had some way to go to become a reality, including through the planning process.

But he thanked everyone involved including the extensive work by cabinet member Cllr Robert Lawton and former cabinet member John Hayter.

Cllr Lawton, Bournemouth borough’s portfolio holder for Environment and Transport, said: "We are pleased that this project is moving forward and we look forward to working with our partners to achieve a positive outcome."