MULTI million pound plans for a Sainsbury's store in Otley are out of character with the rest of the area and would do little to encourage trade in the town centre, a scathing report by planners has said.

Sainsbury's hopes to build a community store on Bondgate, but a report to city councillors at this week's development control panel west meeting highlighted several major concerns about the scheme - seven months after the application was submitted.

Although developers Litton Properties remain confident that the issues can be resolved and pledged to work with

planners, the scheme is still some way off from being accepted.

Amongst the report's criticisms were:

l Officers believe designers have made no attempt to reflect the grain of the town centre or its character and that the store does not relate to Bondgate or the town centre.

lThe store should be located at the front of the site, not the back, to make sure the store is truly part of the town centre.

l Officers consider that in transportation terms the site is poorly related to the rest of the town centre and is aimed at people in cars. "There is a reluctance to positively plan for non car-borne customers," the report added.

l Access issues on Bondgate and servicing arrangements along Station Road and potential noise and disturbance to nearby residents have also not been resolved.

"The challenge is to ensure that the development... functions as part of the centre and sustains and enhances its vitality and viability," the report adds.

Developers Litton have said that it would not be physically possible to locate the store at the front of the site and consider that the building is architecturally functional, attractive and appropriate. They are also trying to address the issue of noise and disturbance.

Councillors agreed to visit the site when the application comes to committee stage.

Coun Phil Coyne (Lab, Otley and Wharfedale) said: "It is a very important development which offers the chance of substantial regeneration, not least to the adjoining tannery buildings.

"There is a view from from both myself and the Town Partnership that the location of the store should be at the rear of the site, not the front as officers suggest. But the time to raise these issues is after a visit to the site."

l Plans for 33 apartments and 41 parking spaces at the tannery have been submitted by Litton, but the application is lacking key details and officers have been unable to assess the proposal and it's relationship to the supermarket application.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.