THE owners of a woodland want to restore follies dotted around its 110 acres.

The Woodland Trust announced this week it plans to restore Fisher's Hall and Mowbray Castle at Hackfall Woods, Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

But before restoration starts, they have tabled a planning application to provide improved parking on the fringe of the Site of Special Scientific Interest.

A trust spokesman said the parking area would stop vehicles from parking on the road near the bend and would be much safer.

The trust said numerous follies in Hackfall Woods needed restoration.

In seeking funding, they are co-operating with the Hackfall Trust, whose members helped to save the wood from destruction in 1987.

A planning application to provide a vehicle access and an access gate to the woods is being considered by Harrogate Borough Council.

A spokesman said the plan had brought an objection from Grewelthorpe Parish Council, which believed a better site could be found.

The woods were created in the 18th Century by William Aislabie.

In its heyday, Hackfall attracted a throng of visitors, with many citing the views from Mowbray Castle as the highlight of their tour.

A 40ft waterfall was fed by a reservoir, which provided the head for a 20ft fountain in the middle of a pond below.