A NATIONAL Railway Museum boss said she was disappointed by the decision to defer an application for the Central Hall development.

But NRM director Judith McNicol said she was committed to delivering the "many benefits" that the project could bring.

She said: “We are naturally disappointed that the application for Central Hall was deferred by the Planning Committee last night. Whilst council officers confirmed that they had considered the equalities impacts of Central Hall, the committee have asked council officers to provide a formal Equalities Impact Assessment Report.

"We will work with City of York Council to bring this specific area back to planning committee as soon as possible.

“At the National Railway Museum, we are committed to being 'Open for All' which means providing a welcoming, inclusive environment to all of our visitors and colleagues. This value is embedded in our plans for Central Hall – with extensive detail provided in our application and by our accessibility consultant at committee yesterday - and in our wider transformation, Vision 2025.

“We remain 100 per cent committed to delivering the many benefits that the project can deliver to the museum and the city.

"The proposals for Central Hall are a once in a generation opportunity for the museum to realise its potential as the ‘world’s railway museum’ by improving our offer, welcoming more visitors to the city, and helping us to inspire the next generation of engineers and problem-solvers.”