YORK'S railway station will need a major upgrade to cope with a huge increase in passengers and the demands of new rail schemes, the city’s development blueprint has said.

City of York Council’s draft Local Plan, outlining how York will be developed up to 2030, said York Station must increase its capacity and provide better facilities, as the number of people travelling to the city is predicted to rise by 41 per cent between 2009 and 2021.

The document said arrangements for buses near the station also need to be improved because current bus stops are among the city’s busiest and there is no suitable place for services travelling from the east to terminate and turn around for return journeys.

It has said future development plans must recognise the station’s listed status, but proposals sympathetic to its heritage would be considered.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: “The railway is a growth business which is essential to support our economy, and it is very pleasing to see the importance of the railway and planning for future growth recognised in the Local Plan.”

Coun Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for planning, transport and sustainability, said the station was one of the finest in the world, but ways of increasing capacity while keeping its quality and grace had to be found, and a new bus interchange could ultimately improve its setting and appearance.