Decision day for retail project in Dales town conservation area

Councillors will be advised to back the proposed scheme when Craven Council's planning committee meets today – despite fierce opposition from Skipton Civic Society and Skipton Town Council.

Maple Grove Developments wants to build four large retail units behind Skipton Town Hall, off Jerry Croft, and tear down the building and associated premises at 9 High Street to create a two- storey block for shop or restaurant use on land owned by Craven Council. The proposals would create 36 full-time jobs and 129 part-time jobs but would also lead to the loss of 95 car parking spaces in the market town.

Critics have raised a raft of objections to the scheme including the loss of parking, which they fear will lead to fewer visitors to the town and could cause businesses to close.

Skipton Town Council, which is urging councillors to refuse planning permission, fears the town hall could lose its viability with everyday use, meetings, concerts and markets being made difficult by access.

It claims the historic building would be "lost in a plethora of retail buildings" and some access would be "a danger to public safety".

The council also fears the development would transfer commercialism into "what is essentially a heritage area".

The scheme has also come under fire from Skipton Civic Society, which says it has concerns over the size and siting of the buildings; the standard of design and what it calls the "negative impact" on listed buildings in the immediate area; pedestrian and vehicular use, and views into and out of the historic core of the town centre.

In a detailed response to the plans, which will be considered by the committee, the society says: "The society's criticisms of the first scheme have not been resolved; our view is that the alterations made to the first set of drawings are minimal and do not address the fundamental issues relating to the size and position of the proposed buildings.

"Changes have been made to suggest a response to the public consultation comments regarding provision of a shopping precinct without appreciation of the architectural, historic or amenity value of the setting and adjacent listed buildings."

The society also fears the development behind the town hall will block important views into and out of the town, including significant landmark views of the tower of Holy Trinity church. It claims the building is in the wrong place on land which belongs with the Town Hall.

As well as representations from Skipton Civic Society and Skipton Town Council, Craven Council has received five letters objecting to the proposals.

Critics have claimed the scale of the development is out of character with the neighbouring buildings and setting and that it is outside the Core Retail Area.

It has also been said that "both sets of proposals lack local and regional identity".

However, Craven Council's building conservation adviser has dubbed the development "a scheme of Yorkshire robustness and confidence" and noted the "latest proposals reflect the historic and architectural identity of Skipton in a modern way, without being a mere copy of past designs."

Despite the opposition to the scheme, the report which will be considered by Craven Council's planning committee says the proposed development "would provide a sustainable urban development" and would "contribute to the vitality and viability of the town centre."

It adds that it "is of an appropriate design and will not result in a negative impact on identified heritage assets; and, can be satisfactorily accommodated in highway terms."