A SCHEME costing more than £30,000 to provide a safe pedestrian walkway around Glusburn and Cross Hills has been given the go-ahead.

North Yorkshire's Craven Area Committee approved a pedestrian action plan, which will establish a "barrier free network of paths", linking all the main facilities in the two villages.

"We want to ensure that there are no features along these routes, which prevent or hinder their use by any ability of footway user, for example, wheelchair users, pram users, walking aid users and the visually impaired," said assistant traffic engineer Stuart Marshall.

The main areas to be targeted include both the village's main streets, and work will start in the summer.

"Considerable work has already been undertaken to improve the crossing points but there is scope for further improvement particularly with regard to residential areas," Mr Marshall added.

Improvements will also be made to Holme Lane and the shared car park of the Co-op supermarket and Craven District Council's car park.

The area around the villages' takeaways will also be looked at, as large numbers of pupils from South Craven - the largest secondary school in the county - visit them at lunch times.

There are also concerns about pedestrian access around Glusburn Primary School on Colne Road.

The detailed programme of works, which will cost £34,200 in total, includes:

o Reducing the width and radius of kerbs along Lynndale Avenue, introducing a pedestrian refuge in the centre of the carriageway, textured paving at crossing points and dropped kerbs;

o textured paving, pedestrian safety barriers and raised kerbs at the junction of Station Road/A6068;

o resurfacing the footway at the junction of the A6068 and Co-op car park to delineate between access by foot and vehicle access;

o textured paving at the junctions of Holme Lane and the A6068 and Institute Street/A6068;

o dropped kerbs and textured paving at Ash Street and both entrances to Town End Close;

o dropped crossings and textured paving at the junctions of Aire Crescent and the A6068, Royd Close, Beech Street and Victoria Road, Ashville Terrace and Holme Lane opposite the health centre, two locations on Aire Street/A6068, Park Road/Highgate junction, Green Lane/Park Road junction; Ryecroft Way and junctions with Black Abbey Lane, Mayfield Close and Bungalow Road;

o re-surfacing the pedestrian footway from Holme Lane to Burnroyd Avenue;

Coun Philip Barrett said he had worked closely with the authors of the report and that it was a good scheme.

Speaking after the meeting, he said: "The action plan contains a comprehensive list of improvements, which will benefit the many users of what is the main service centre for South Craven."