DELEGATES who spent a week examining Richmond's opportunities have urged community leaders to forge closer ties with their military neighbours - or risk a slow decline.

The Countryside Agency and Richmond Town Council pioneered the international exchange under the umbrella of the agency's Market Towns Initiative.

The four delegates spent last week examining whether the town capitalised fully on its reputation as a tourism hotspot.

Links with neighbouring Catterick Garrison were also examined in detail, with the group spending a day as guests of military commanders on the base.

The tour of the area concluded with the group presenting their findings to community leaders in the Town Hall.

The delegates found plenty to compliment, but there was also constructive criticism of some missed opportunities.

The castle, the town's Georgian heritage, the market place and its natural setting as the gateway to Swaledale prompted Hungarian architect and prize-winning planner, Balint Orosz, to urge community leaders to press for World Heritage status.

Consultant and town centre co-ordinator, Marion Wells, of Suffolk, praised the Richmond Swale Valley Initiative, which has already identified a raft of medium and long-term projects designed to capitalise on the town's setting.

However, the delegates' overriding message was that Richmond and Catterick Garrison should not develop in isolation and that more should be done to develop closer ties between the civilian and military communities, including the immediate formation of a working group.

"The key to all this will be the involvement of local businesses," said Ms Wells. "Without them, very little will work."

Afterwards, the Mayor of Richmond Coun Stuart Parsons, acknowledged the importance of what he described as the 'one- town' concept.

"It would be easy for us to presume we know all there is to know about where we live but, if this exercise has proved anything, it is that we don't," he said.

Chairman of Richmondshire District Council and county councillor Michael Heseltine said: "This has thrown up some very new and interesting ideas which have been a breath of fresh air."