THERE are more alternative development plans for Skipton than motorists looking for a parking spot on Bank Holiday Monday. But those aired by Bowman Riley and Skipton Properties (see opposite page) deserve closer scrutiny - not least because of the track record of the parties involved.

Bowman Riley is a leading northern firm of architects with a high reputation of being behind prestigious projects - significantly including an award-winning canalside development. Brian Verity's Skipton Properties has been behind many of the largest developments in the area. He lives in Skipton and surely has the expertise to know what will, and what will not, work in the machinations of the property market.

We do not believe that the "do nothing" option is in the best interests of the town. In the past, the building of the castle, the canal, Dewhurst's Mill, Middletown and the slum clearances of the mid 20th century have all taken the town forward.

Now another turn of the wheel is due.

We must pay for missed appointments

THE fact that missed appointment figures for Craven are below the national average is not surprising. That they are as high as they are is dispiriting. Dr Craig at Dyneley House is quite right when he says they are seen as valueless to the patient.

There is no money lost, no comeback. For many people missing an appointment is as meaningless as missing that night's episode of Coronation Street.

But there is a cost and that has been calculated at £18 each time an appointment is forgotten, or the patient feels something more important has cropped up, or the symptoms have gone away.

It would be a brave Government indeed which started charging for missed medical appointments. But until one does, then there will always be a significant number of "no shows" in our surgeries and hospitals.

Making the public aware of the scale of the problem might make some more diligent, but there is a hardcore who believe that society is at their beck and call. Until they are made to pay for their bad manners, then any significant reduction in the number of missed appointments will not be possible.