BUSINESS leaders in Otley are urging Leeds City Council to reconsider controversial road 'improvements' planned for the town centre.

Otley Chamber of Trade and Commerce is calling for the rethink after carrying out a consultation with traders and companies in Kirkgate and Station Road.

The survey found that most were strongly opposed to plans, linked to the creation of the new Sainsbury's superstore, which would remove on-street parking, add a new crossing and 'scale down' a traffic island.

The Chamber, working with Otley Town Partnership (OTP), received 34 replies out of which 23 were against any loss of parking. Out of those five opposed the whole scheme while 18 were in favour of a Puffin crossing for Kirkgate.

Only 11 businesses said they 'generally approved' of the entire project.

The Chamber and OTP have now written to Leeds City Council's Design Services department with the results, urging the authority to reconsider.

In the letter, Chamber President David Gagen and OTC Chairman Peter Heald wrote: "The majority of responses gathered were in favour of a Puffin crossing on Kirkgate, mostly for safety reasons, although the proposed location was questionable.

"But most were strongly against the loss of parking in Kirkgate and Station Road, which provides no obvious benefit to the town.

"However, we have already supplied a petition, generated by a number of market traders and their customers, to your staff detailing the reasons for their total objection to the proposed crossing.

"We have also had discussions with the town's traffic wardens, who are very concerned about the proposed loss of parking in Kirkgate and Station Road, the general loss of parking facilities in Otley as a whole.

"They are also concerned and the loading/unloading problems facing businesses in Kirkgate who would be directly affected by the proposed position of the crossing and its 'zig-zag' area.

"Otley Chamber and the Partnership would therefore urgently seek clarification as to why the proposed reduction in parking is even necessary, other than to facilitate large delivery vehicles negotiating Kirkgate as part of the proposed Sainsbury's development, when alternative routes from the Otley bypass are available and preferable.

"It should be noted that this situation arises from the proposed location of Sainsbury's service yard off Station Road, rather than off Gay Lane, where the centre of Otley could be largely unaffected."

The Chamber also believes the scheme (which will see the road width in Kirkgate reduced by 24 inches and still allow parking for loading/unloading and the disabled) could be counter productive and actually slow traffic flow.

All Saints C of E Parish Church has also held a meeting with Leeds officials about the plans, which would see the layout of the Station Road and Burras Lane junction changed.

Last Thursday Councillor Graham Kirkland (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) met with Leeds Highways officers to discuss potential problems.

He said: "We made it clear that we didn't like the idea of a complete ban on parking on one side of the road.

"I think that it would be unenforceable, and it doesn't ban loading and unloading of deliveries or disabled parking.

"But if it did work it would actually speed traffic up which is not what we want in the town centre.

"We also said that we felt having traffic lights with a pedestrian phase would be better than a puffin crossing on Bondgate.

"I don't think Leeds had thought about the problems these plans could cause and I think they are back in the melting pot now.

"But the snag is that an agreement with Sainsbury's has already been rushed through which means, in theory, these plans will happen. We'll have our work cut out to change things."