DERELICT land at Bay Horse Yard, Skipton, has been sold to developers who want to build houses on it.

Gargrave-based developers Hall Varley Homes bought the land from Skipton Building Society, after plans to put a 'one-stop' resource centre there fell through.

Hall Varley completed the exchange this week and developers plan to meet architects Wales, Wales and Rawson on Monday with a view to coming up with a scheme for seven two and three bedroom houses.

An existing property on the site is also likely to be converted into a small house.

Skipton Building Society previously owned the land and was holding it for Craven Voluntary Action. The CVA planned to build a resource centre to house voluntary agencies under one roof.

But its ideas were met with fierce opposition from local residents and were rejected by Craven planners and by an appeal inspector.

Joyce Varley, from Hall Varley, said the developers' aim was to come up with a "sympathetic" scheme to fit in with the local neighbourhood.

The site, behind the Craven Herald Offices, has been derelict for several years. It used to hold the newspaper's printworks and was sold to a firm of Skipton builders.

Planning permission was granted for seven houses in August 1998 but eventually the development fell through after the old print works had been demolished. Since then it has been an eyesore in a sensitive part of the town.

In April 2000 the CVA started its campaign to obtain planning permission for a resource centre on that site. The idea was to house local voluntary agencies under one roof so they could share offices, resources, skills and costs.

But local residents objected on the grounds that the building would overshadow their homes and be detrimental to the conservation area.