A DISCOUNTsupermarket will not be built on the outskirts of Skipton.

Lidl, which has chains of grocery stores throughout Europe, had hoped to set up a store on the Airedale Business Centre, off Keighley Road.

The company, which was founded in Germany, also offered a 16-seater minibus for a park and ride scheme into the town and pledged £20,000 to Craven District Council to assist with the running of it.

Lidl also proposed spending £5,000 upgrading a 1.5 kilometre stretch of the canal towpath near the site.

The plans, which were put before Craven's planning committee meeting on Monday, involved building a store comprising 1,342 square metres with car parking for 86 spaces.

Officers' recommendation for refusal was backed by members.

Simon Davidson, property executive for Lidl, said that the supermarket would not pose a threat to the "vibrant town centre" as they did not have their own in-store cafs, bakers and other producers.

Mr Davidson told planning members that the package on offer brought many benefits.

But Coun Marcia Turner said that land was an employment and industrial sites and sites like this were increasingly being "nibbled" away.