Renaissance initiative is back on track

It will pay for a study to assess all the land in Craven which has potential for building and a second research programme to ascertain the impact of the local economy development.

A third piece of research, seen as vital to putting any projects into place, could also go ahead as Yorkshire Forward has agreed to provide half the funding for a computerised traffic model, which would reveal where traffic in Skipton comes from, the purpose of its visit and where it is going.

If North Yorkshire County Council provides the other half of the funding, the research could be done in the busy spring months.

Armed with the three pieces of research, Craven District Council can proceed with some degree of confidence about the viability and effect on the town of some of its major projects.

Craven's chief executive Gill Dixon and chief economic development officer Jonathan Kerr met Yorkshire Forward after it had said funds for Skipton had almost run out.

That sparked criticism that money had been spent on expensive consultants without any local input.

Now the way consultants have been commissioned in Skipton, one of the first and the biggest so far of the Renaissance Market Town projects in Yorkshire, is being scrutinised by an assembly of local authority leaders to see what lessons can be learned.

Mr Kerr said Yorkshire Forward had listened sympathetically and funding issues had been resolved.

The first project to be started would be to put an extra storey on Cavendish Street car park.

The council has pledged that no work can be done unless car parking capacity is maintained elsewhere. Development of the bus station is also likely to go ahead shortly.

The council also has plans to build a multi-purpose civic centre on part of the Coach Street car park which would house the town's library, register office, council offices and an auditorium.

This has not formed part of the Renaissance "vision" but is seen by the council as a key element in releasing other parcels of land in the town.

The council has been looking at housing a wide range of community facilities on one site for more than 10 years but has never identified a suitable site before.

A major decision for the authorities is to decide what to do about the town hall and its car park, where many residents want to see a multi-storey car park, preferably sunk into the ground.

However, Skipton mayor Paul English, who is heavily involved in the Renaissance project, said the council needed to be very sure that it was doing the right thing. There was considerable debate about what was the best option for the town hall and its car park, which is mainly used by tourists.