AN EMPTY car showroom could be turned into an adventure play centre for children - despite opposition from council officials.

Plans have been lodged with Harrogate Borough Council to open the centre, with a cafe, and party rooms in a building on the town's Ripon Road, from where cars were once sold. Susan Reid, who has made the application, said the venture would create 12 jobs and bring a valuable recreational facility to the New Park, Jennyfield and Bilton areas, where there were increasing numbers of children and a lack of things for them to do. But council officials have spoken against the plan. Councillors will make a decision at a development control committee meeting on Tuesday.

MUSIC NIGHT: Money will be raised to reinforce the riverbank at Easby when folk singer and musician Roy Bailey entertains in Richmond next weekend. Proceeds of the event, at the Swaledale Outdoor Club, in New Road, on Saturday, February 22, go to the Easby riverside restoration project, which needs to raise £75,000 for engineering work to protect a footpath and Easby Abbey from river erosion.The evening, which begins at 8pm, also features supporting singers. Tickets are £4. For details, call (01748) 824150.

DANCE CLASS: Aspiring ballet dancers are being given a chance to practise their skills at Stokesley Leisure Centre. Classes for children and adults begin later this month - the first time this form of dance has been offered by the council-run centre. Classes in classical ballet will be led by a Royal Academy of Dance-trained tutor. The six-week course begins on February 26, from 5pm to 5.45pm, for juniors and 5.45pm to 6.45pm for adults. Each course costs £15 for juniors and £18 for adults. For details, call (01642) 711140