PLANS to make Skipton and its market more appealing to younger people were outlined by the chief executive of Craven District Council at the National Association of British Markets (NABMA) conference. in Birmingham.

Paul Shevlin spoke to delegates from all over the country about the strengths of Skipton and its market, and proposals to make the town centre more appealing to young people in the future.

The council has secured more than £1.2 million of government funding for the High Street Heritage Action Zone, and plans to spend some on developing ‘youth’ markets.

Mr Shevlin said after the conference: “Skipton Market has been incredibly successful over the years; it has won multiple awards and attracts dozens of coachloads of visitors every day in the summer. Skipton Town Council should be proud of their recent achievements.

“However, there is a need to attract and retain younger people in the district and Skipton town centre and the market can play a part in this. We want to reacquaint younger residents with their town, establishing a cultural quarter with music and festivals and events targeted at young people.”

He added: “We’re looking at ideas including renovating the ginnels and creating a new public square. We want to provide stalls for pop-ups and develop a new youth market which can eventually be integrated into the established market.”

Mr Shevin said it had been a great opportunity to ‘sell’ the area to a wide audience. And, he added: “We can’t treat markets in isolation; we need to work with our partners, Skipton Town Council and Skipton BID, to turn the town into a fantastic destination, both for visitors but also for young people to live and thrive.”

Representatives from Skipton Town Council, which operates the market, were also at the conference. Dave Parker, chief officer, said: “The theme of the conference was ‘Markets in Renaissance’ and focussed on how the continued development of markets can influence the future of high streets in a changing retail environment.

“While Skipton remains one of the more successful markets in the country, there is no doubt we need to look to the future and how we attract younger traders and customers. The Heritage Action Zone funding is great news for the town and we are very much looking forward to working with Craven District Council and other partners on the project as it develops”

Leader of Skipton Town Council, Cllr Robert Heseltine said: “The residents, families and businesses of Skipton, both now and in the future, will want to look forward to enjoying a thriving town where all can live their lives to the full. To help make this government funding a lasting success will need the co-operation of us all, including our own town council and North Yorkshire County Council. We are more than ready and willing to play our full part.”