AMBITIOUS plans for a conference and exhibition centre could be dropped from a £1m project to redevelop Bedale railway station.

Hambleton councillors will be told next week that the likely cost of creating the centre is too high to justify its inclusion, although the rest of the redevelopment scheme could go ahead with changes to plans formally approved five months ago.

The district council has bought the station, with its buildings and yard, from the Kerfoot Group, and wants to combine its reopening for Wensleydale Railway services with a range of other uses to encourage tourism, increase job opportunities and improve public transport.

Offices, a caf and a travel information point for Wensleydale Railway would be opened in the station house and original plans showed that buildings in the station yard would be converted into units housing a conference, meeting and exhibition centre and eight workspaces for new and existing craft businesses.

The likely viability of the conference centre was subject to market research, however, and the council cabinet will be told on Tuesday that results from external consultants suggest this element should be scrapped.

Steve Quartermain, head of planning and environmental services, said that while the consultants found general support for the idea of the centre, this appeared to depend on the development being of the highest quality. Concerns were also expressed about the lack of parking on site and associated catering and accommodation.

Mr Quartermain said: "While concerns about parking and related services could be overcome, the costs involved in creating such a state-of-the-art conference centre are clearly substantial.

"Consultants have given an estimate of £330,000 while further investigation has indicated that the actual cost of conversion, together with internal fittings and equipment, could be at least £350,000.

"At this level the costs involved are much greater than originally anticipated and are now considered to be prohibitive, particularly when it is this aspect of the project that is not attracting any external funding.

"Consultants also feel that to be successful, the centre would need a dedicated, full-time manager with adequate resources for marketing campaigns. This clearly has significant revenue implications and further adds to the already prohibitive costs."

Mr Quartermain is suggesting to the cabinet that the unit originally earmarked for the conference centre should now house a glazed single gallery and exhibition space to complement and work with the craft businesses envisaged as occupiers of the workshops.

Regional development agency Yorkshire Forward has committed £500,000 towards the station redevelopment, but is offering a further £150,000 if the number of workspaces is increased from eight to 11. Mr Quartermain said this could be achieved by rearranging the internal layout of two of the units.

Mr Quartermain also wants the cabinet to decide whether a proposed new bridge over Bedale Beck in connection with the station project should be for pedestrians only in an attempt to keep costs down.

Planning permission for the bridge was given on the basis that it would also be for cyclists, but Mr Quartermain said further investigation had shown that the justification for this requirement was weak because riders were unlikely to manouevre on and off the A684 for such a short distance.

If the cabinet accepts all of Mr Quartermain's suggested changes to the station project, a revised planning application will have to be submitted, although redevelopment of the station house as already approved is expected to start in January