Plans for a Millennium Green on a Skipton estate look set to go ahead after Craven Council handed over a piece of land on a 999-year lease.

The derelict ground near Whinny Gill reservoir, on the Greatwood Estate, currently attracts fly-tippers and vandals and a consultant landscape firm has called it "a mess".

But it is hoped that, when completed, the Craven Millennium Green will actually improve community spirit and even reduce crime on the estate.

A group of trustees on the estate have secured a grant of over £20,000 from the Countryside Commission but need more than double that amount to complete the ambitious scheme. The plans for the site show how it will cater for all ages, with a central rubber-surfaced play area and a separate seating area aimed at older people who enjoy feeding and watching local birds and wildlife.

The area would be out of bounds for dogs and special gates will prevent cyclists and motorbikers from gaining access.

The Council has agreed to allow the Millennium Green Project trustees to lease the land at a peppercorn rent, but the trustees are appealing for more local tenants to help them raise the rest of the funds needed before work can begin.

Trustee Frances Burrows said: "We have half of the funding and we are holding a meeting at the Community Centre next Monday to find out if we can raise the rest.

"There are no other facilities on the estate apart from a couple of overgrown fields next to the centre here.

"But if we could get this thing off the ground it would provide a real focal point for the area."

It is also intended that the facility would incorporate a wildlife zone by transforming existing boggy land into a shelter for local creatures.

Craven District Council's housing manager David Allison said: "The granting of this lease will help to generate continual community interest and enhance the estate physically as well as promoting improved community spirit."

Anyone interested in becoming a trustee or helping out with fundraising should call Frances Burrows on (01756) 701386.

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