Ilkley has a long and historic tradition as a spa town and in years gone by people travelled from far afield to take the waters and enjoy their health benefits.

This heritage is something the company behind the long-established Craiglands Hotel is seemingly hoping to build on with their proposed opening of a new spa facility in the basement of the hotel on Cowpasture Road.

Planning permission for the spa has been granted, along with permission to build nine houses in the hotel’s grounds by way of funding the spa development. However, the hotel company now wants a planning condition restricting use of the spa to hotel residents only to be lifted, so that non-residents can use the facility.

The objections from local councillors to this are understandable – that part of town is often full of cars parked on the surrounding streets, both belonging to residents and those working in the town. They fear that a facility such as this could attract yet more parking problems.

Anyone who lives on those streets might tend to agree with the council, but it seems a shame that a local business’s plans to expand might be stymied because of this.

Surely some compromise can be reached that will keep both parties happy. It should not be beyond the abilities of our councillors and a major business to thrash out a suitable plan.