PEOPLE in Skipton are being asked to get involved in plans to improve the look of streets around the town's Craven Court shopping centre.

Following Craven District Council's success last year in securing just more than £1.5m from Historic England to fund a programme of capital projects in Skipton, plans are now starting to take shape. The latest consultation follows a similar one looking at the Coach Street area of the town, which closed earlier this month.

In partnership with Historic England and Praxis, owner of Craven Court, a consultation is being launched on plans to redevelop the area of Otley Street that runs along the side of the covered shopping area.

The proposal aims to enhance the heritage and to encourage people to spend more time in the area, boosting trade for the independent shops, businesses, and cafes.

Proposals include:

* Replacing overgrown shrubs with Yorkshire stone flags to open the area up and create a large space for public meetings, events and business activities.

* Implementation of a mix of shrubs and grasses that will form a backdrop to splashes of colour that appear throughout the year, as perennial planting. The mix will provide continuous and successive waves of colour providing structure, year-round visual interest and make the space more beneficial for pollinators.

* Installation of trees to provide a green line for the street and add structure to the space. Small trees will be specified to encourage biodiversity and wildlife, while adding diversity to Skipton’s overall green infrastructure.

* Installation of heritage style benches and cycle parking.

* Installation of 'festoon' style overhead lighting and external power points to support events and commercial opportunities in the area.

Skipton is one of 60 ‘High Street Heritage Action Zones’ across the country to benefit from the government funded scheme run by Historic England. The initiative aims to use Skipton’s heritage to boost economic growth and improve quality of life.

So far, the funding has contributed to the refurbishment of the Town Hall and the purchase of the former Community Centre on Otley Street for conversion into an Arts House for young creatives.

Craven District Council says it welcomes comments to the proposals which will be used to shape the final designs. It is anticipated that the designs will be finalised at the beginning of next year, with construction starting in the Spring.

The plans can be viewed at www.cravendc.gov.uk/haz and the survey can be completed at:www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HTZ8Q7V

The consultation closes on January 7.