LEYBURN Town Council has reversed its decision to ban the Dales Festival of Food and Drink from the market place.

It followed one councillor begging colleagues to at least allow a bus pick-up point there.

Coun Mavis Parry added: "Our real concern is that Leyburn will miss out."

Speaking on behalf of the festival steering group at Monday's town council meetings, she said: "We are desperate still to work with the town council. Our aim is to bring tourism and business to the town."

Coun Arlene McIntosh described this year's festival as spectacular. "It is a remarkable and admirable achievement. How can anyone object to something so successful?"

"We recognise its achievements but it is a victim of its own success," commented Coun Bob Owen. He supported a continuing dialogue and like two members of the steering committee, Coun Parry and Coun Margaret Knight, noted the severe congestion in the food hall in May which caused health and safety problems.

"This disenfranchised disabled people, kids in buggies and the elderly," he said. Coun Ian Bell said the festival had caused considerable difficulties for local residents and businesses as many of the car parking spaces in the town could not be used for up to seven days due to the erection and dismantling of the marquees.

Coun Ian Barker, who declared a personal interest because he has a business in the market place and had a stall in the food hall in May, also emphasised this.

"The majority of the businesses are not affected for one week, or even two weeks, but in terms of months," said Coun Barker. "People start shopping elsewhere. It is affecting the livelihood of Leyburn."

Local newsagent, Tony MacFarlane, attended the meeting to support this view and to tell them that many local people agreed with the decision made by the town council last month.

The Mayor, Coun Trixie Walker, stated that when councillors met the steering group in July they had asked that the burden should be relieved on the market square by removing the food hall from there. They wanted other sites to be investigated including some on the edge of town.

But one of the sketch plans in the steering group's report, received in August, made no mention of the location of the food hall. Another showed the food hall covering all the district car park plus many events being located in the market square.

She showed this plan to the meeting and pointed out that in the central part of the square there was a farming marquee beside Wrays, several fair attractions, food stalls, a band and 100 seats.

"If you have thousands of people milling around how can you park cars?" she asked. "Our prime concern as a council is the people of Leyburn and it is they who are being inconvenienced."

She added that the 2003 festival had brought the town to saturation point. And that in 2004 was expected to be even bigger.

Coun Parry said that all the proposed events in the market square could have been set up on the Friday evening. As the food hall had to be larger it could not be in the market square.

She reported that the steering group had been warned that green -field sites in May could easily become waterlogged during bad weather as the water table was high at that time of year.

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