RESIDENTS of sheltered housing at Laurel Croft, Embsay, want action to alleviate ongoing parking problems along their road.

They are investigating the possibility of changing the status of the road to make it unadopted.

This would transfer the ownership from North Yorkshire County Council to Craven District Council, which runs the sheltered housing complex.

In turn, it would allow the sheltered accommodation residents to stop unauthorised parking, and create the opportunity for residents' only parking areas.

Several residents have said parking along both sides of the road leads to access problems for the emergency services, and often they, and other legitimate visitors such as district nurses, cannot park outside the sheltered accommodation.

They have also complained to the parish council about noise disturbance at night related to functions at the village hall and the use of the Laurel Croft parking areas as an overspill from the main car park.

However, parish councillors have said they are against a total stop-up of the street.

"Putting up barriers, of any type, whether they are just signs or road humps, will undermine access for all the people who visit the village hall or have access to the paddock to the back," said council chairman Roberta Cowley.

"At the same time it will inconvenience the home owner at the entrance to Laurel Croft," she added.

Coun Cowley said the council sympathised with the Laurel Croft residents, who wanted to have their own parking spaces.

County councillor Shelagh Marshall in a letter to the parish council highlighted the fact that should the road become unadopted, the three street lights would become the responsibility of the parish council.

Coun Cowley suggested a site visit between residents, the parish, district and county councils, village hall management committee and owners of the adjacent paddock to look at the suggestions in more detail.

It will also give the residents the opportunity to voice their concerns directly to the parish council and to ask officials to look at the feasibility of extending the main car park into the field beyond, which is owned by Craven District Council.

An invitation to a site meeting is to be sent out to all parties as soon as possible.