A 'FANTASTIC' opportunity to totally transform a large part of Otley's riverside is currently being presented to the town.

Described as 'exciting' by the head of the team behind the project, the scheme for Garnett's 22-acre riverside site would see the largely unoccupied area redeveloped with housing, offices, a small hotel and large amounts of public space.

Public walks and cycleways, squares and a wildlife park would thread their way through the development built to reflect the housing styles of the town and to create interesting vistas and views of the largely undervalued river frontage.

And if everything goes to plan, work on site could start at the earliest in two years time.

Consultants say benefits to Otley would be huge. It would open up the currently closed off part of the riverside to walkers and cyclists and could create between 300 and 500 new jobs.

Tom Walker, of Leeds architects Gillespies, and head of the design team, said it was a fantastic opportunity for Otley.

"This is a fantastic site with a wonderful river frontage. Otley could have a new quarter and river frontage. As a designer, I am really excited about it."

The project would involve the expensive remidiation of a large area of land formerly used as a paper tip and would need a separate planning application. The two metres deep paper pulp would be recycled and dispersed on fields.

Elements of the scheme have already been suggested as ways forward in the recently published A Vision for Otley Riverside and during the plan's consultation process, designers highlighted the Garnett's site as prime redevelopment potential - comparing it to Knaresborough.

Garnett's, about to see the ending of a long-standing contract with Yorkshire Water, would relocate to another site at Pool where it would concentrate on the more profitable paper finishing side of its business.

Affordable housing would be provided as part of the scheme, a children's nursery and a doctors' surgery.

The scheme would feature:

l 132 residential apartments.

l 145 residential houses for families, including affordable homes.

l A 50-bed hotel

l 100 retirement homes.

Consultants working for the last two years on the scheme say a new access would be created onto the Pool Road, on the far side of Otley Cemetery.

The current access, Mill Lane, would become more pedestrian focused and a large number of vehicles removed from the town centre.

A natural wetland area would tackle possible flooding while expensive remedial work will have to take place on the land formerly used by the paper makers as a dump.

Consultants believe just the former mill owner's house on the site the landmark chimney and the buildings fronting the river are worthy of being saved.

Last week, the town council's Economic Development Commit-tee was told that it was hoped that outline planning permission would be submitted to Leeds City Council before the end of July.

If everything goes smoothly, outline permission will be given before the end of the year and work on site started sometime in 2007.

Richard Whitehorn, property consultant for Garnett's landlords, Brick Holdings, said the ending of the agreement between Yorkshire Water and Garnett's in November had presented the company with an opportunity.

The company currently pays £140,000 a year to Yorkshire Water which is set to rise to £1 million a year if it stays put at its current site.

Mr Whitehorn explained that the paper making side of Garnett's was expensive and losing money. By developing the laminating side of the business, it could expand and develop.

"There will be no paper making, but the laminating process will remain."

Town councillors have welcomed the scheme with caution.

At last week's meeting, Councillor John Eveleigh said: "This looks very exciting and hopefully we will be able to support it when it goes through the planning process."

l Comments are currently being sought on the development. A brief statement about the plan is currently available at Otley Civic Centre with the deadline for comments on Monday