AN AMBITIOUS plan to create a waterway for pleasure boats on the Tees at Barnard Castle is the latest suggestion for attracting tourists to Teesdale.

The idea, which follows the recent suggestion of a 500ft suspension bridge across the river, involves narrowboats using a specially-constructed channel along a two-mile stretch of water running through the town.

Brent Stephenson, of Staindrop, who owns a successful river boat firm in Skipton, presented the idea at a meeting called by the Teesdale Market Towns Partnership on Thursday of last week.

Mr Stephenson said: "If you could turn about two miles of the river around Barnard Castle into a navigable waterway, you would crack the problem for Teesdale overnight.

"You would have coach loads of people being dropped off in the town, taking a two-hour trip for lunch or afternoon tea on the river, then wandering round the town afterwards.

"I am not talking about a huge or very expensive job, just a channel down the centre of the river which would not affect fish, water levels or the flow of the river.

Mr Stephenson was anxious to point out that he was not hoping to profit from the idea himself, as he planned to retire in the near future.

Mr McKnight said the idea was a good one and agreed with everything that Mr Stephenson said about the potential for bringing money-spending tourists into the town.

The problem, however, was that Lord Barnard owned most of the river and had rejected a similar idea in the past. "Maybe we should go back to Lord Barnard with a new plan," he said. "It is definitely something that is worth considering."

Mr McKnight said this week that he had informed Raby Estates that the idea had been raised and the partnership would now have to decide whether it wanted to go ahead with Mr Stephenson's suggestion.

"If it does, we will have to look at where, potentially, that idea may be based and then go to the appropriate land owners, which may or may not include Raby Estates," he added.

Mr McKnight told the meeting that the issue that concerned people most during the recent consultation process was parking.

Possible solutions included the introduction of permit parking in residential streets, a park and ride scheme and half-hour free parking areas in the town centre.

Another area of concern to residents was the number of empty shops in the town centre which had fallen into disrepair.

Everyone agreed that the town would benefit from more unique and specialist shops to attract trade from outside the area, as well as provide locals with a better and wider choice.