Revised York Castle car park redevelopment plans submitted
The revised plans are based on responses to a public consultation that took place last summer.Design consultants BDP said they had focused on accessibility, heritage and maintenance when drawing up the new plans.Kilbane said: "Our proposals include new play areas for families, something people have been asking for more of in the city centre, and green open space for people to relax and take some time out."
The council said the revised proposals aimed to make the scheme more affordable so that it could still be delivered.In January councillors were told the first phase of the scheme would cost an estimated £3.5 million.Claire Foale, the council's city development lead at the time, said the cost of plans for the scheme approved in 2020 would now be close to £16m, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.Councillor Katie Lomas, the council's Labour finance and major projects spokesperson, said submission of the planning application was an "important step forward for the scheme"."These plans seek to create a versatile public space where people of all ages want to spend time, making it greener and more accessible, as well as more affordable and deliverable, when compared to previous plans," she said.
A planned multi-storey car park at St George's Fields is no longer set to go ahead, though improvements to existing facilities are still being considered.The revised Castle Gateway proposals are set to go before the council's executive in September and a decision will be made separately on the planning application.
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The Independent
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