AN air of mystery surrounds plans being drawn up for a new road that will cut out the bad bends at the notorious Cononley Lane Ends.

Residents only learnt that plans for the road were in the pipeline when Cononley WI contacted North Yorkshire County Council to ask if it could have permission for a Jubilee boundary stone to be erected in Cononley Lane.

To the surprise of the WI, the county council indicated that there could be a problem with that location as new plans were being drawn up for the road.

The WI subsequently informed the parish council about the matter.

When the Herald investigated, a spokeswoman for the county council said plans were being drawn up by the Highways Agency, which was responsible for that section of road.

And a spokeswoman for the Highways Agency confirmed that plans were currently being put together, but she could not reveal what form they would take.

"Plans for this scheme are currently being drawn up and we hope to hold a public exhibition of the proposals in the spring.

"As this is still a very early stage in the process and is subject to statutory procedures, work is unlikely to start for a few years yet."

She added the aim of the scheme was to improve the safety of this part of the road and various options were being looked into at the moment. The public consultation, she continued, would help the Agency shape its plans.

Malcolm Wiseman, of Cononley Parish Council, said: "It's quite crazy the fact that we just found out about the plans by chance."

He added that he had not heard of any plans for the road, known by locals as "Cononley Bends", since a major improvement scheme was axed a few years ago.

Coun Wiseman said he would welcome a scheme that improved the safety of the road and would also welcome the opportunity to comment on any plans before they were finalised.