Community leaders in Sutton, Glusburn and Cross Hills are to meet later this month to discuss a wide-ranging plan which could bring a breath of fresh air to the traffic-choked villages.

Congestion has been made worse by a series of changes including the growth of South Craven School, the linking of the M65 and M6 and the expansion of the industrial estate at Kildwick.

Villagers have been campaigning for years for changes in the road network and they also want an increase in public transport as part of an overall traffic strategy for the area which they hope will help reduce pollution.

Now a list of areas of concern has been produced by a Cross Hills villager with suggested solutions aimed at reducing traffic congestion and encouraging more people to use public transport.

The proposals include a direct access in to Sutton for the future development of the former Silentnight site which is set to be filled with more than 60 houses after the company won planning permission following a public inquiry last year.

And promoting the upgrading of the A56 Skipton to Colne road and designating it as an official heavy goods vehicle route with a subsequent ban on lorries along the A6068.

Some of the ideas listed have already been suggested in a survey carried out by North Yorkshire County Council in its consultation over the now "dead and buried" Glusburn bypass.

These include a bridge over the Kildwick level crossing - which is responsible for a lot of the congestion around Cross Hills.

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