Students in Craven are to get a £900,000 purpose-built art, design and media centre.

The district's planners have given the go-ahead to plans to build the new centre on Craven College's Aireville Campus site.

The two-storey building, measuring 1,816 square metres, will have 21 rooms including a television studio, a video editing suite and a recording studio.

It will be situated on the car park adjacent to the countryside management block and there will be classrooms dedicated to photography, fine print, life drawing, textiles, woodwork and metalwork.

Sixty-five parking spaces will also be provided and, because of the additional traffic, the county's highways authority has asked for a right turning area within Gargrave Road and for other minor visibility improvements.

College principal Alan Blackwell told Craven District Council planning committee that there was "chronic overcrowding" at the college and urgent approval was needed for the plans if it was to seize the "window of opportunity" in obtaining a Further Education Funding Council grant.

He added that the college's art courses and facilities had reached saturation point and applications were already pouring in for next year.

Mr Blackwell said students were forced to work in cramped conditions and frequently had to travel between Snaygill Industrial Estate, Otley Street Community Centre and the Aireville site.

The centre would provide new opportunities for local residents, and 80 per cent of students attending the college were from Craven. Local primary schools and Aireville School would also have use of the facilities, he added.

Councillor Beth Graham commented: "This is a very high profile and desirable development. It is simply wonderful for students." But Councillor Richard Welch said: "I think it is a shame the end product would be more suitable for an industrial estate or Craven Cattle Mart."

Some concern was expressed by members of the committee over the preservation of trees between the site and Gargrave Road. Skipton Civic Society had asked for a tree preservation order to be made.

However, the planning report said: "The proposed building will have no effect on the trees, being on the opposite side of the building from them.

"However, the car park construction, although not requiring the felling of any trees, may alter the drainage and general grounds condition in the vicinity. For this reason it may be prudent to avoid using an impervious surface within the car park."

The plans were approved subject to various conditions concerning external materials, landscape treatment and the highways conditions.

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