Skipton Building Society's offer to help build a multi-storey car park and develop a park and ride scheme in Skipton appears to have been snubbed by Craven District Council officers.

Chief executive John Goodfellow said he wanted to help solve the town's growing parking problems, but his genuine offers seemed to have been dismissed.

He said he had met with council chiefs three times to explain that Skipton Building Society was running out of car parking spaces at the Bailey, and that he hoped to find ways to meet the company's needs and benefit the town at the same time.

"During those meetings we offered to develop a park and ride car park for use of the town and develop a multi storey car park within the existing town hall car park," said Mr Goodfellow. "But nothing happened."

He claims that the only idea he got in return from the district council was to use the quarry for parking. "A suggestion that has unacceptable health and safety risks for our staff," he added.

Mr Goodfellow thought the only way to get the issued raised and discussed on a political forum was for him to submit an application for the 78 additional car parking spaces at the Bailey site.

The application was rejected at Craven's planning meeting last week. Mr Goodfellow said he never expected that the plans would be approved, but that he was disappointed with councillors' comments.

In a letter to the Herald, he says : "Your report states that Councillor English suggested a meeting between the council and the society.

"May I make your readers aware, and the planning committee, since presumably they were not advised by their officers, that prior to developing our proposal, we had meetings at chief executive and at head of planning level to try to develop a solution which would solve our parking needs and provide benefit to the town.

"I suggest Coun English gives clear instructions to officers to achieve something and not see success as no policy, no progress and no solution."

Mr Goodfellow told the Herald he had not expected his offers to help create a multi storey and park and ride scheme to be included in the planning report handed out to councillors.

But he had expected that when Coun English suggested a meeting that officers would say they had already met him and understood what the society really wanted to do. He thought that could eventually spark discussions about the multi-storey car park.

"We think we are part of the community and we want to help the community.

"As I stated we are happy to support the development of the district. We are proud of our roots and the quality people who make our organisation special."

Craven District Council's acting chief executive Vince Green said: "Any discussions between the council and the society have been exploratory in their nature. Apart from the recent planning application which was refused, the council is not aware at this stage of any other firm proposals.

"The council would welcome the opportunity to discuss more fully the matters raised by the society and is willing to meet with its representatives to explore how these issues may be progressed."

Mr Goodfellow's letter also said that the society's application for extra car parking spaces was rejected on the grounds that it would not enhance the character of the Skipton Conservation Area.

"Can I make it clear that the car parking proposed is outwith the conservation area and cannot be seen from any point within the conservation area."

He added that it seemed strange planners should consider the green entrance to town as important, when Overdale Grange, Overdale Park and the Greenacres were on the same stretch of road.

Skipton's reluctance to support major employers lost Silentnight to Barnoldswick back in 1949. Owner Tom Clarke vowed never to return when the council refused to help him find premises for a bigger factory.