AN AMBITIOUS £10m development plan for the Great Yorkshire Showground was unveiled on Wednesday.

The five-year project is designed to make the Harrogate ground the centre for agriculture in the North of England.

A major consultation exercise will now be held before a planning application is submitted.

The developments include:

* a roundabout in Wetherby Road and a new road into the showground to ease traffic congestion;

* a regional agricultural centre, including offices for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and a farm shop and caf;

* replacing the existing 70 room accommodation block with a 100-bedroom hotel;

* replacing Exhibition Hall One with a modern building of 6,500sq m against today's 3,500sq m;

* re-locating the existing touring caravan park within the site.

Nigel Pulling, chief executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, described the plans as very exciting. "The Great Yorkshire Show has been a great success story over recent years," he said. "Since foot-and-mouth it has come back with strength and is going through a purple patch at the moment.

"Over the next five years we want to make the showground the agricultural centre of excellence and a focal point for the agricultural and rural community."

Heather Parry, managing director of the Yorkshire Event Centre, which YAS established on the showground in 1996, said: "We are committed to providing the best facilities we can to promote the fact that Harrogate is a first class venue, whatever the event."

The Yorkshire Tourist Board estimates that the centre and showground generates between £30m and £37m a year in the local economy.

The new regional agricultural centre would see YAS staff move to a new location on the site, releasing the buildings they now occupy for other uses. It would also provide office space for other agricultural/rural organisations wishing to move there.

The new offices would be environmentally friendly and a flagship development, showing what could be achieved.

The regional food centre, farm shop and caf would be a showcase for food produced in Yorkshire. New products could be featured and visitors could try them out in the caf.

The 100-bedroom hotel, which would replace the existing 70-bed hostel used by exhibitors and others attending events on the ground, would be in use all year and would help Harrogate meet the demand for beds. The many conferences and exhibitions held in the town often see all available beds taken and buses have to be laid on to take visitors to hotels in York and Leeds.

Exhibition Hall One, the flower hall, has served its purpose well but needs replacing with a larger, modern building.

YAS is proposing a completely new entrance to the showground, involving a new roundabout between Wetherby Road and Rudding Lane and a new road cutting across land owned by the society, with a new roundabout at the current entrance.

It would ease traffic tremendously between Sainsbury's and Wetherby Road.

Christopher Hall, show director, said there was a long way to go. Full consultations would be held with neighbours and all other interested parties before a planning application was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

"We are very proud of the showground; we believe it has the best facilities and is the best-looking in the country," said Mr Hall, "It is one of our main selling points."

If planning permission is granted, it is hoped to start work before the end of the year with the agricultural centre, food shop and caf the first phase.