PLANS to transform one of the gateways to Bedale town centre will be unveiled this month.

The scheme proposes that one of the main routes through the market town, in the rundown area of Bridge Street, will be redeveloped with new homes, shops and businesses, while a renaissance park will be created on an allotment site.

The Bridge Street redevelopment project is part of a package of projects identified through the Renaissance Market Towns programme.

Bedale was one of the first communities chosen by development agency Yorkshire Forward for its ten-year programme to support the revitalisation of rural market towns as places to live, work and visit.

A town team formed to work on a plan of projects is now seeking the views of local people on the first of these, the Bridge Street scheme.

Plans will be on display at Bedale Hall from 6.30pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday, March 28, when members of the team and the consultants who have prepared the scheme will be available to explain the proposals in detail.

The consultants have already spoken to landowners and developers to determine what is feasible.

Mike Barningham, chairman of the town team and of Bedale and Villages Community Plan Forum, said: "Bridge Street is an area with significant redevelopment potential.

"It suffers from a high volume of traffic and, as it is the main route between the Dales and the A1, much of that traffic is heavy.

"As a result, it is not an attractive road for pedestrians, so has not had the investment by businesses, making many of the buildings either disused or in a poor state of repair. It is an unattractive gateway to the town centre.

"We want to revitalise the area and create better links between the railway station, the beck and the town centre, but it is vital that we have the input of local people before we go any further."

Mr Barningham said it was hoped homes and shops could be created in Bridge Street. The park would be developed on Aiskew allotments, between the railway station and the beck, while improvements to the path to Bedale harbour would create another pedestrian access to the town centre.

The community plan forum has already improved a heavily used pedestrian alley between the market place and the car park at a cost of £25,000, with new surfacing and lighting