Skipton'S top property developer and biggest architects' practice want the council to concentrate its town centre development on the town's bus station.

They are asking the council to reconsider its own plans and have drawn up an alternative proposal for the town to consider.

Brian Verity, owner of Skipton Properties, and Bowman Riley architects have devised a scheme to create a new bus station, offices, small shops and headquarters for the council - as well as a new police station - on the bus station site.

Mr Verity and Geoff Thorpe of Bowman Riley presented the scheme to the Craven Herald and said they had discussed it with some council officials.

Bowman Riley has an enviable track record in developing on sensitive sites. It won top awards including one for its canalside development of student accommodation in Leeds and has wide experience of dealing with sites in a conservation area such as 24 luxury apartments in central Harrogate adjacent to the Royal Baths.

It was also the architects for the Skipton Building Society headquarters extension, which were widely commended. Mr Verity's company is the largest house builder in the Skipton area and has won awards for its developments.

Together they said they had drawn up the plans because they lived in, or close to the town, worked there and had a significant interest in seeing the town develop sympathetically.

"We're from Skipton and we know its problems. With all due respect, we think our experience and expertise can come up with something better than people brought in from outside," said Mr Verity.

"We think this has merits, we put it on the table and let's see what the town thinks."

Their scheme, which we shall call the BR/SP plan, revives the council idea of a one-stop shop for council services with a library on the same site.

It also includes a police station on the same site, right in the town centre and directly opposite the town's night club, where late night policing problems are often focused.

The BR/SP plan includes a multi-storey car park on Cavendish Street site and a one-way traffic flow which would remove the problems of congestion at either end of Cavendish Street.

The main points behind the BR/SP plan are:

o A bus station with seven stands and lay over space. Pedestrians would not be required to cross the highway to reach the buses. Kiosk type shops would form part of a pedestrian concourse in front of the bus spaces. A taxi rank would remain but its character would be enhanced with trees.

o A new public library in the corner overlooking the canal. Entrance could be on two levels for people crossing from Gallows Bridge. Part of this site is owned by Sunwin House but the advantages to them of the better use of the site might persuade them to release it.

o Offices for the council and a police station would be housed in a three and four storey building. The police have considered relocating from its old warren-like Otley Road premises. This would be constructed on the car park alongside the Fleece pub.

o A new car park on the southern end of the site, on the land currently used by buses as a turning circle. Two levels would be under the existing surface and four above. Bowman Riley, who have experience of decked car parking, believe that it would be three and a half levels above the canal towpath and similar in height to the houses on the opposite side, creating 200 car parking spaces, almost double the existing capacity.

o A multi-storey car park on Cavendish Street, going down half a level with five and half levels above (including rooftop parking), creating space for 700 cars. Bowman Riley believe that this would rise about 50 feet and be like a canalside mill in character.

"We think there is an interface with council offices, library, police, transport and car parking all on one site, which currently is just tarmac," said Mr Thorpe.

The proponents of the BR/SP plan point to the success of the integrated bus station at Keighley. While it would be considerably different visually, the principle of attracting people into one site is the same.

They also believe a one-way system around the site would ease traffic flow and remove existing bottlenecks at T junctions.

Traffic from the south would be forced to turn left into Cavendish Street, which would be one way towards Broughton Road.

At the Cavendish Street-Broughton Road T-junction traffic could turn left, towards the railway station or right into Swadford Street, which again would be one way heading into town. A traffic island at this T-junction would keep vehicles heading from Broughton Road to the left, allowing vehicles from Cavendish Street to filter in, without stopping, into the right hand lane.

At the junction of Swadford Street with Keighley Road, traffic could turn left towards High Street, or right into Keighley Road, which would be one way, heading south. Again, a traffic island would keep vehicles heading from the High Street to the left, allowing traffic from the right to filter in without stopping.

The effect would be to create a one-way, two lane traffic system along Cavendish Street, Swadford Street and Keighley Road.