A LONG-AWAITED scheme to revamp Easingwold town centre may be watered down because of a lack of cash.

The final draft of a £300,000 project to enhance the main road through the market town, Long Street, will be discussed by locals next week.

But the scheme, which has been in the pipeline for two years, could have to be pared down because the cash-strapped county council may not be able to cough up its share.

And, next month, the town council will discuss whether to make a contribution to the scheme to keep it on track.

Under the plan, the stretch of Long Street from Church Street to Rosemary Court will be narrowed and lined with trees with angled parking bays installed. Ornate signs, pointing visitors to the shops and car parking in Market Place, will also be installed.

Before the Easingwold bypass, Long Street was the town's link with the A19 York to Thirsk road.

However, plans to introduce traffic-calming measures and replace the tarmacadam pavements with picturesque flagstones, may have to be shelved because Hambleton District Council wants the county council to pay for these, but the county council, faced with cutting £2.3million from its highways budget next year, is unlikely to be able to afford to.

Peter Sowray, county councillor for Easingwold, said that despite the cash crisis he would be pressing county hall to back the project.

He said the county council was responsible for safety, but this was not a safety scheme.

He added: "It's an enhancement scheme and finding money in the county council's budget is nigh impossible."

Town mayor Geoff Ellis, who is also a district councillor, said without county cash, the scheme would be reduced. And, he said, town councillors would be considering whether to make a financial contribution towards it. He added: "We are very enthusiastic about this. There was a similar scheme in Stokesley and Thirsk, which the town councils made contributions towards."

He said it was that vital work began on the project as soon as possible: "It's an aesthetic improvement. We hope it will act as a catalyst to encourage more businesses to come into Long Street."

Martin Gerrard, chairman or Easingwold Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said businesses wanted the project to be implemented intact.

He said: "We want to see Long Street develop so it looks like an extension of the town. It should look like more like a trading area than the main road, which is what it used to be."

A county council spokesman said the authority would decide on whether to contribute once the last draft was finalised.

Steve Quartermain, director of planning and environmental services at Hambleton District Council, said the scheme might change without county cash.

He said: "We take the view, if it is going to be on the highway, the county council should make a contribution towards it."

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