THE decision to investigate a major scheme in Skipton town centre revealed in these columns this week is to be welcomed.

The Town Hall has become an increasingly troublesome building. From being an asset to the town, it is becoming a burden. Hence we applaud the casting of the first seeds in an imaginative scheme which would solve more than a few problems in one fell swoop.

First of all, however, it is important to caution that this is merely the first step on what will be a long, complicated road. The plan has been talked of unofficially by a number of councillors from across the political spectrum and was finally unveiled at a relatively low key committee meeting of the council. At the moment all that has been agreed is merely an investigation of the possibilities. There is much flesh to be put on the bones but the concept seems most attractive.

Naturally talk of a multi-storey car park behind the town hall will set alarm bells ringing. But we advise waiting to see just what plan comes forward. The council is not proposing one of those concrete monstrosities reaching into the sky (we've got one of those further down the High Street, built by Skipton Building Society).

The idea is to dig down and create two or perhaps three tiers using the natural contours of the land. This sounds like common sense. When work was carried out on the car park on Gargrave Road, Skipton, there was comment that the council had missed the ideal opportunity to put in a second tier by using the slope.

A second aspect of the plan is the convenience of locating not just the council but other community organisations under one roof (we presume that Granville Street could then be sold off for housing to part finance the scheme).

Vast sums are being spent on the upkeep of old, dilapidated buildings. This remorseless drain on public finances is increasingly holding back the council. And we cannot help but hope that the awful 9 High Street building, a folly of the Sixties planners, is demolished and something more in keeping with this beautiful town takes its place.

The third element is the provision of a new community facility, an improved venue for the arts, a revamped and attractive Craven museum that is not tucked away as though the town is ashamed of it. The front facade of the hall would remain but the inside, approaching 150 years old, is certainly a faded glory.

We await now while the wheels of administrative procedure slowly turn. Behind the scenes council officers will delve into the mechanics of turning the plan into reality. We must await specifics. However, a good start has been made. We wish this project a smooth passage.

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