A 25-YEAR blueprint for the future of Bedale would need a major change in planning policy because of its effect on the town conservation area, a local councillor claimed this week.

John Weighell added that there was no financial commitment from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward to the Renaissance Market Towns programme, but some parts of the Bedale plan would need to be funded "quite highly" to make them remotely feasible.

Coun Weighell, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, was answering a question on Monday at his authority's Hambleton area committee about the RMT blueprints for Northallerton and Bedale, launched simultaneously two weeks ago.

The blueprints, containing radical visions of both towns as they could be by 2030, are based on projects suggested by local people and organisations working with consultants sent in by Yorkshire Forward.

At their launch charters were signed on behalf of the county council by its chairman, and at the Hambleton area committee this led parish council representative Ken Blackwood to question Coun Weighell about his authority's input into projects.

Speaking specifically about Bedale, Coun Weighell said: "Nothing in the Bedale plan will work until the county council builds and pays for a relief road and that is some way off yet."

He added: "The total cost would be £20m to £30m for Bedale and a major change in planning policy would be required because the plan is talking about knocking down quite a considerable amount of the conservation area.

"There is no commitment from Yorkshire Forward to funding anything, but some of it would have to be funded quite highly to make it remotely feasible."

But Adrian Spawforth, managing director of the consultants working with the Bedale town team, said later that while major traffic issues like traffic calming in Emgate and the market place depended on a relief road, a significant number of other projects could be delivered without it.

Addressing the effect on the conservation area, Mr Spawforth said: "Each building identified as a long-term development site has been assessed in terms of its contribution to the townscape.

"Most of them are single-storey, less than 100 years old, of little intrinsic architectural quality, have little or no historical relevance, are not in the market place and have no group or landmark value.

"Any one of the suggested sites could be brought forward tomorrow by the current owners and current planning policies would not prevent their redevelopment subject to the usual design and highway issues being dealt with."

Mr Spawforth added: "Conversations between the Bedale town team and Yorkshire Forward are ongoing regarding priorities for funding for the next few years and I am meeting Yorkshire Forward in the next few weeks on the matter."