AN HISTORIC agreement has been signed which could lead to the transformation of Skipton Market.

The agreement between Skipton Town Council and the London-based owners of Rackhams, The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Ltd, will see the setts in front of High Street department store restored before being handed over to the council.

It is planned that this high-profile section of the setts will be brought back into use by the end of the summer and become a focus of the council's long-term 'vision' for an improved and more exciting market.

Ideas include bringing in new traders with a different range of products, themed market days and a crackdown on traders who leave their vehicles parked on the High Street for longer than they should.

Chief officer Dave Parker told the full council that officers had received an increasing amount of criticism about the state of the market in recent weeks.

The signing of the agreement had been a long process and realistically it would be three months before the setts were ready for use again.

"We had hoped to get it up and running for the start of the tourist season, but that has not been possible," he said.

Cllr Paul English said it was another big landmark for the council, after taking over management of the market two years ago.

And Cllr Wendy Clark said she looked forward to being able to tell those people who complained about the state of the market that something positive was being done.

After the meeting, Mr Parker said the council had been working on the agreement for around a year and was delighted it had finally happened.

"It means that the council will have full control over who can trade from this space and that will give us much greater flexibility than we currently have," he said.

The council plans to use the space to introduce new traders and new product lines, and to introduce some new initiatives to improve the look of the market and address some of the long-standing issues such as the parking of trader vehicles.

There are also plans for a number of themed market days and to provide the opportunity for prospective traders to try running a stall - perhaps for the first time.

"The council plans to use the space to showcase its vision for the market in the future. This is a high-profile section of the High Street and this is a perfect opportunity for us to make some positive changes which the council hopes will be welcomed by traders, visitors and residents," he said.

Andrew Johnston, fund manager at Royal London Asset Management, said: " We're very pleased to have reached an agreement with Skipton Town Council for the ongoing use of the setts.

"This will ensure that the setts are used and managed for the mutual benefit of all parties."