PLANS which would see the biggest change in the Skipton landscape for more than 200 years face growing opposition.

The chairman of the committee charged with overseeing Skipton's renaissance plans has launched a surprising attack on the proposals and on last weekend's public exhibition in the town.

Criticism has also come from the Civic Society for failing to give any indication of what new buildings would look like while a group calling itself "Voice of Skipton" claims its independent poll shows a massive thumbs down for some of the main planks of the Renaissance project.

Mike Doyle is chairman of the Skipton Renaissance Team, drawn from a cross section of interests across the town, but in a statement to the Craven Herald he expressed his doubts about the way the council was pressing on with its plans.

In particular, he criticised the council and its consultants, GVA Grimley, for not consulting with neighbouring properties.

Mr Doyle, who is a councillor on North Yorkshire County Council but not on Craven District, said he found the exhibition held at the Lock, Stock and Barrel pub over the weekend "as grim as the venue", which he described as "dark and gloomy".

Saying he was speaking as a private individual, not as chairman of the Renaissance Team, he said: "From my perspective, the promise of the Renaissance Day has been frittered away by the blinkered headlong pursuit by Craven District Council (and North Yorkshire County Council) of a means to finance new offices."

He also claimed that money provided by Yorkshire Forward to finance a traffic model had been "frittered away on traffic studies for the proposed multi-storey car park".

In a separate broadside, Skipton Civic Society has criticised the failure to provide any drawings of the visual impact of the proposals.

Gwynne Walters, secretary of the Civic Society, said there was no indication of how high multi-storey car parks and new buildings would be.

Voice of Skipton spokesman John Kerwin-Davey said he and his group polled 645 people outside the exhibition but only 18 fully supported the ambitious proposals.

There were 270 in support of a multi storey car park on Cavendish Street, with 339 against, the rest undecided.

Only 98 were in favour of new council offices with 500 against, while 94 were in favour of relocating the public library and against 532.

"This is such a powerful expression of public opinion by the people of Skipton that it must be acknowledged," said Mr Kerwin-Davey.

"Although much of the voting pattern was a surprise to us, it was a solid thumbs down to the council/Renaissance proposals. Craven District Council will now have to ride rough shod over public opinion or think again."