ABOUT 60 new jobs could be created if £6 million plans for a new hotel on the site of former council offices in York are approved.

Proposals to open a Euro Hostel – which would be only the fourth in the UK – in the George Hudson Street building have been submitted to City of York Council. Plans also include a restaurant and bar.

The four-floor hostel, described as offering rooms of a standard lying between traditional backpacker accommodation and budget hotels, would have 53 rooms and space for 249 beds.

The planning application said Euro Hostels already operate in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle, and York had been identified as their next target city as its was a “growing demand” for rooms.

The listed George Hudson Street building, vacated when the council opened its new £32 million West Offices HQ nearby, has had a £250,000 refurbishment and was originally expected to become office space. However, a statement by consultants Walsingham Planning said: “The site satisfies all of Euro Hostels’ requirements – it is close to the railway station, within the heart of the city-centre, and can accommodate the required number of bed spaces to make the use viable.

“Despite the name Euro Hostel, the proposed use is distinct and far removed from a traditional hostel. It will support the vitality and economic prosperity of York.”

The firm said the site had been formally marketed for more than a year, but only two parties interested in using it as offices had come forward and neither would commit to a long-term lease, with no prospect of this changing.

It said the owner needed a return on its refurbishment costs and Euro Hostels had made a firm offer, subject to planning permission, while York would not suffer from the loss of offices as more than 240,000 sq ft of office space was being marketed around the city-centre.

The Euro Hostel is expected to open next summer if the plans are given the go-ahead, with the applicants saying it may attract 50,000 customers a year.