Funding totalling £117,523 has been awarded to open a new visitor and heritage hub in a former public toilet block in Leyburn.
The grant has been allocated to Leyburn Town Council by the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Sustainable High Streets Fund.
It will be used to redevelop the town’s now-closed Kelberdale toilets, off the Market Place, to create the hub, which will include a disabled toilet.
The funding will also pay for a new Visit Leyburn website to promote the town to visitors and highlight local community services.
Other work planned as part of the Accessible Leyburn project will include plastic matting to improve the path from the Shawl to the nearby playground and additional accessible seating on the Shawl.
Thirty more accessible audits of businesses and attractions in and around Leyburn will be carried out, while a wheelchair scooter has been donated by the Access the Dales charity to the hub for free use.
Announcing the funding, Mayor David Skaith said: “High streets are constantly changing, but they have, and always will be, hubs for our communities.
“That’s why I’m backing community-led projects across York and North Yorkshire, like Accessible Leyburn, which will establish a vibrant visitor and heritage hub, creating an inclusive, prosperous market town high street for all.
“Residents and businesses understand most what is needed in their communities. I am proud to be backing their plans with my £10m Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund.”
Richard Sanderson, chairman of Leyburn Town Council, said the toilet block closed after suffering anti-social behaviour and becoming too expensive to run, with other conveniences available in the town.
He added: “These projects are some of the key recommendations from the Accessible Audit of Leyburn’s public realm and 20 local businesses, performed in April 2025 by AccessibleUK.
“The audit report enables the new Visit Leyburn website to articulate what businesses and attractions are accessible for visitors with mobility, hearing, visual, autism, dementia, dietary and dog-friendly requirements, and equally as important to the residents as Leyburn is one of the oldest communities in the country.”
Diane Howarth, of local business Cottage in the Dales and accessibility volunteer to Leyburn Town Council, who helped secure the funding, said: “Accessibility is the best business decision we’ve ever made.
“So I’m delighted to help gain grant funding and deliver projects to make a positive difference for Leyburn, helping our local rural businesses and attractions flourish too.”
The town council said more information on the plans would be released soon, with residents and businesses invited to participate in the project by by creating content for the hub and website.
