A MASTERPLAN for Skipton's 'sports village' Sandylands has been completed and is due to go before North Yorkshire councillors in June.

First mooted in late 2022 by the former Craven District Council which allocated £40,000 to employ consultants to put the plan together, the aim was to ensure that the most was made of the sport and leisure centre for not just Skipton residents, but for all who lived in Craven.

The site, off Engine Shed Lane and Carleton New Road, is owned by multiple landowners - including North Yorkshire Council which owns the grass pitches on the southern side - and has a wide range of stakeholders, buildings and clubs operating from it, including Skipton RUFC and Skipton Tennis Centre.

In June last year, North Yorkshire Council, which replaced Craven Council, invited sports clubs and anyone with an interest in the Sandylands site to say what they would like to see at the centre, which is also used by schools.

Earlier this year, the owners of the former LMS sports pitch off Carleton New Road, expressed dismay that their plans for an improved grass pitch and car park at the site was rejected by the council.

The masterplan is understood to include a need to improve parking provision and circulation of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists at the centre, including new parking areas, disability provision, coach parking and drop-off places. Also called for is better signage at the entrance and within the centre , drainage improvements, a pedestrian link to new housing on the southern boundary and a boundary 'trim trail'.

Councillor Andy Solloway, who represents Skipton West on North Yorkshire Council, said: "My own take on this is that Sandylands Sports Centre has been successfully and independently providing sports facilities to the area for years and developing sports and leisure with very little if no cost to council tax payers.

"North Yorkshire Council should not only recognise this but also support them with outside funding but also with council’s own local infrastructure. It could start with completing the link road to the bypass from Engine Shed Lane and providing a safe footway on the access road to the sports centre, which was originally planned."

North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, said: “The Sandylands Masterplan which aims to create a framework for future growth and development on the site is now complete.

"It has brought users and stakeholders together to discuss what the main issues are and what is needed to address them – including on usage of the existing facilities; parking, access and travel; quality of the existing facilities; and what people see for its future development.

“Stakeholders have welcomed the opportunity to think strategically about the site as a whole and will now continue to work together in partnership to bring positive change for users of community sport. One of the first outcomes has brought a focus for providers to consider a mixed ability approach to sports and physical activity across the site.”

The site is owned by multiple landowners - including North Yorkshire Council which owns the grass pitches on the southern part of the site - and has a wide range of stakeholders, buildings and clubs operating from it.

The masterplan is due to be discussed by North Yorkshire councillors at the Ripon and Skipton Area Constituency Committee in June.