Residents will join forces with design experts to look at ways of improving Otley town centre.

Organised by the Otley Town Partnership with voluntary body Concourse, a workshop will concentrate on key areas of the centre with help and advice from professionals.

It has been set up following the public release of the town partnership's Strategy for Success, which identifies 50 aims to revitalise Otley - including a hotel, rail link and the retention of Wharfedale General Hospital.

The workshop, which will be held in the Civic Centre on Saturday, will focus on four main points:

How to improve pedestrian links through the centre of Otley and to the riverside, along with traffic management, access for the disabled and safe areas.

How to introduce greenery and attractive landscaping into the town centre.

How to attract large enterprises to the town centre, particularly a supermarket and hotel.

How to develop a consistent type of sign and style for the town centre to include shop fronts, street furniture and to promote tourism.

Concourse is an umbrella group covering a wide range of organisations including the Landscape Institute and the Urban Design Group.

Students from Leeds Metropolitan University will also be putting together ideas generated by the workshop in graphics and formal presentations.

Councillor Phil Coyne, chairman of Otley Town Partnership, said: "This provides precisely the sort of detailed expertise we need to take forward our plans for Otley.

"It will enable those who care about the centre of Otley to contribute to its future development."

Among those due to attend the workshop is Tonia Hearne, president of the Otley and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce.

She believes providing housing for people in the town centre itself and building a "gateway to the Dales'' hotel could be two of the keys to success.

She said: "Every small town's having problems and Otley's no different.

"Therefore we need to try and find ways of improving the town centre and something like this is very encouraging to see and a good start.

"A lot of the property above the shops in the town centre is empty and one of the things I'd like to see is a plan to improve those properties which are just being wasted at the moment.

"So many people need smaller accommodation and these places would be ideal as bedsits.

"There are grants available and it would bring rent in for the landlords - turning them into flats would help bring the town centre to life at night as well as during the day.

"Anything that brings people into the town centre will be most welcome."

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