A SWALEDALE centre proposed for Kirkby Stephen's auction mart site could attract up to 30,000 visitors to the area each year and create a number of new jobs.

The Swaledale Centre, proposed for the Harrison and Hetherington auction mart site on Faraday Road, will promote the breed and the associated products.

The £80,000 project will include better facilities, retail units offering local produce and elements designed to appeal to children.

It will be run in conjunction with the Swaledale Trust, which is made up of representatives from the farming community and retired businessmen.

Town council chairman Alex Birtles, who attended a meeting of the trust, said the hope was for a well-managed and effectively-marketed centre to attract between 20,000 and 30,000 visitors a year.

"It's better than merely promoting the Swaledale breed," he said.

"There will be a viewing gallery and flexible outdoor demonstration space to help promote the auction mart."

There will also be provision for home-cooked snacks, a room for hire and an educational element along with local arts and crafts.

Coun Birtles said the total revenue cost would be in the region of £80,800, which would include activity costs and staff costs, creating jobs for a centre manager and three part-time assistants.

The trust told Coun Birtles that the Swaledale Centre appeared to be a sustainable enterprise.

"There's still considerable optimism amongst members of the trust wishing to take the matter forward and to do that they require a committed group of local people from the farming community and retired businessmen, but other members would be very welcome," said Coun Birtles.

He said the plans were at a very early stage but he hoped the town council would be able to have a member on the trust.

l Meanwhile, a new housing development in Kirkby Stephen was also back on the town council's agenda this week.

As part of its local plan for the area, Eden District Council is seeking planning permission for the development of 60 homes on Nateby Road, and hopes to make 50 per cent of the homes affordable for local people. However, the town council believed a figure of 30 per cent was more realistic.

Speaking after the meeting, assistant clerk Jeanette Cooper said that the council had concerns regarding increased traffic and access on Nateby Road.