A REPORT has been published canvassing residents' opinions on how to rejuvenate a 'low profile' town. 

Bentham is the second-largest settlement in Craven behind Skipton with 3,035 people living in the community. Drivers would have to travel north up the A65 as far as Kendal to find a larger town as it even beats nearby tourist destination Kirkby Lonsdale for population size. It has seen extensive recent property development, with 100 homes completed in 2020 and 140 homes across five sites seeking planning permission. 

However town, district and county councillors acknowledge that Bentham does not have the 'pull' of other north Yorkshire market towns such as Ingleton and Settle. 

The Bentham Masterplan is a joint initiative from Craven District Council in partnership with Bentham Town Council and North Yorkshire County Council. The plan aims to produce a plan "for the rejuvenation of the town centre and to set out a clear vision for the future development of Bentham." 

The first stage of this was to produce a report based on a survey of residents' opinion, which was done from October 2022 until mid-December. 10 per cent of residents responded to this. 

Bentham town councillor Phil Gerrie shared the completed report which was presented to the council on Monday, March 6. 

The report started by saying: "The current road network is seriously inhibiting business development in Bentham. The town needs better connectivity to the A65 to the north and to the A683 and the M6 to the west.

"Although set in an area of outstanding landscapes, surrounded by well-known visitor areas, Bentham has a low profile and does not have the pull of other nearby market towns."

The report highlighted the benefits of Bentham such as its location between the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland, and the fact it is served by a railway.

However one of the issues aside from road connectivity is the lack of public transport. Last year the bus service to Lancaster stopped running. Residents also said 'under-representation of hospitality, leisure and sports services.' 

Residents agreed that the 'community ethos, friendliness, and helpfulness of people' was the best thing about Bentham. 

However, residents also complained about access issues for those with mobility problems, the lack of public toilets, and the lack of facilities for young people and children.