The private York school which was hoping to create two new football pitches in the grounds of Bootham Park Hospital says it is 'disappointed' that the redevelopment of the grade one listed former psychiatric hospital will not now be going ahead.

But Bootham School says it hopes the work that has gone into planning for the new sports facilities will not be wasted - and can be 'used for any future development on the site'

As The Press reported yesterday, the plans to convert Bootham Park into a retirement village have been sensationally dropped - just weeks after being approved - because of spiralling costs.

Just seven weeks ago, city councillors approved plans for the former mental health hospital, which closed in 2015, to be turned into a retirement village.

But in a letter dated March 17 sent out to anyone who had ‘registered an interest’ in the scheme, developer ERL said: ‘Whilst we’re delighted to have achieved planning for this scheme … unfortunately due to significantly increased construction costs over the last couple of years, we have made the difficult decision that it is not commercially viable to proceed with the re-development of Bootham Park.’

Councillors who approved the plans for the redevelopment a few weeks ago had been told that a benefit of the scheme was that it would formalise public access to the parkland and allow for the creation of two football pitches, with £2 million spent on landscaping the grounds.

As part of an agreement, neighbouring Bootham School was set to create two football pitches - one 11-a -side and the other for nine-a-side matches on part of the open space.

The school made it clear that the new facilities would be mainly for the use of its own pupils.

But Bootham School head Chris Jeffrey said the plan was for other schools to be able to use the pitches, too - with the possibility of sports clubs also using them at some point.

He said: "We immediately saw this as more than just a resource for us to use. We know it has to be for the benefit of the whole community."

Speaking after it had become clear that ERL would no longer be going ahead with the redevelopment, Bootham School Bursar Gavin Blackstone said: "Naturally, we are disappointed that the Bootham Park Hospital development will not be proceeding at this stage.

"However, we understand the economic reasons behind this decision.

"Bootham School has worked closely with a range of stakeholders on this project to provide additional sports pitches for the school but to also offer them for community use.

"We are hopeful that the plans drawn up to date can be used for any future development on the site."

York Civic Trust, meanwhile, has called on NHS Property Services, which still owns the site, to ensure the building and grounds are 'well maintained' until a new developer can be found.

Chief executive Andrew Morrison said the Trust was 'very disappointed that another scheme for one of the most significant sites in York has unfortunately come to nothing'.

"Bootham Park Hospital needs a solid and viable future that will benefit York residents and is sensitive to and inspired by the hospital's past history and the surviving heritage," Mr Morrison said.

"Whilst a new developer is found we hope that NHS Property Services will ensure that the hospital and its grounds are well maintained."