AN ambitious community scheme is set to rise from the ashes of Barclay's bank at Reeth, in Swaledale, which closed amid public outrage last year.

Proposals to turn the empty building into a community office, providing access to council and other services, received overwhelming support from residents who attended a public meeting.

About 60 people turned up on Wednesday night to hear an outline of the plans from Mr Hugh Rolo, an independent consultant commissioned to put together a business plan for the project.

Other agencies, including the Yorkshire Dales national park authority, county and district councils, the local business association and Home housing association, also voiced their support for and interest in the scheme.

It is hoped the community office - a bigger version of those already successful at Hawes and Leyburn - will open in March 2002 following major refurbishment.

Four major tenants would be Richmondshire District Council, providing a link to its services and a chance to pay council tax, rent and rates, the Yorkshire Dales national park authority, which would have an information centre and a base for the area ranger, the upper Swaledale and Arkengarthdale business association, offering business support, and Home housing association, which would turn the first floor into two flats.

Other agencies and organisations would also have a presence in the building, which could be open seven days a week and into the evening, particularly if volunteers came forward to help paid staff.

A computer room, meeting rooms, a base for the Swaledale festival, a JobCentre and a community orchard in the garden are also envisaged.

A second phase could see the garage block turned into a youth centre, possibly with a fitness room and gym.

Mr Rolo recommended a "not for private profit" company be established to buy the site from Barclay's, which offered it at an attractive price. A board of trustees, involving local people and the main partner organisations, would operate the centre at an estimated annual cost of £30,000 to £40,000.

A community development manager should also be appointed, possibly on a job share basis, to oversee the project, which it is hoped will attract funding from a variety of sources including the national lottery and Europe.

"I would expect at least 50pc of the total costs of the community company to be covered by rental alone and that grant income would be sought for the remainder," said Mr Rolo, of the development trusts association. "I am confident that the necessary funding can be attracted to buy, refurbish and secure five years' revenue to run the building."

Coun John Blackie, who chaired the meeting at the Buck hotel, said the community office at Hawes was now an outlet for 55 organisations and received 12,000 visits a year - nearly four times the footfall organisers expected. He paid tribute to Barclay's for offering the Reeth premises at low cost.

"Barclay's bank were the bad guys last year and I am sure we all have our reservations about them, but their generous offer making the building available to us at a very reasonable price means this initiative can go forward," he said.

Mrs Jenny Curtis, who runs Reeth post office, supported the idea of a community office but was concerned it would take business away from her outlet, which was to lose 40pc of its trade in 2003 when the government stopped paying pensions over the counter.

Coun Blackie said the scheme would not come forward at the expense of the post office. Mrs Anne Forster, Richmondshire District Council administration unit manager, said: "We have no intention of taking services or business away from the post office."

Banking services would not be offered at the community building, as the post office hoped to build on those.

There were also some concerns over competition between the new centre and the memorial hall. However, Mr Stan Roocroft, of upper Wensleydale, said the market hall at Hawes had not suffered when the community office opened or when the Dales countryside museum was extended to provide meeting space.

"It didn't do anything but provide us with three excellent facilities whereas originally we had only one," he said.

A group of four or five founding trustees is to be formed to take the Reeth project to the next stage.