A dumping ground could be turned into a recreational haven on a housing estate - but it would be a no-go area for dogs and bikes.

Craven Council is being urged to hand over the plot of land at Whinny Gill on the Greatwood estate in Skipton to the trustees of the Millennium Green Project on a 999-year lease as part of a project to celebrate the millennium.

The project is estimated to cost almost £45,000 and a bid has been made for a £22,000 grant from the Countryside Commission.

The plot of land, between the rear gardens of four streets on the estate, is overgrown and untidy and often used for illegal tipping.

A Craven Council spokesman said: "It does not lend itself to residential development. To landscape the site and provide a range of equipment would be too expensive for the authority."

The trustees had commissioned consultation work on the estate and residents had agreed that the site was a mess and would benefit from a regeneration project.

As a result it was being recommended that the area should have play facilities for youngsters, lighting and seating, it should also have recreational space and there should be tree planting.

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