A MOTORIST has been forced to walk two miles to get from his home to his car, after he was refused a city centre parking permit.

Daniel Mondesir was baffled when council chiefs told him he could not have an £80 residents' pass, even though his riverside flat is inside the Respark boundary.

If he wanted an annual permit to use any council car park, they said he would have to fork out £500.

Now, to avoid pricey on-street parking fees, the 30-year-old recruitment consultant leaves his jeep in a part of Acomb where he can regularly find space outside the Respark zone... two miles from his property.

So he has to flag down a taxi and cough up £5.50 even before he can use his vehicle. After that he still has to work out a way of getting home from Acomb after parking his Isuzu Trooper. If he gets a cab, he has to pay another £5.50.

He cannot understand why his King Street flat, off Clifford Street, is not entitled to a Respark pass, especially when businesses over the road qualify.

Mr Mondesir today branded the parking policy "illogical".

He only moved into the flat, one of three in a new block, one month ago.

But he has already spent £100 on taxis and hourly city centre parking meters - when he goes shopping for food and it isn't convenient to park free in Acomb.

One neighbour has already moved out over the permit row, and Mr Mondesir said: "This is hardly encouraging city living. Had I known about this I would have thought twice about buying the flat."

A council spokeswoman said new properties were not considered for Respark unless a group of residents clubbed together and applied in a block.

But Mr Mondesir told the Evening Press: "It's simply not fair and doesn't make any sense.

"I can't park directly outside my flat anyway because there are double yellow lines on King Street. But I'm sure I could find somewhere closer than Acomb if I had a pass."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "In terms of new properties, our policy is aimed at encouraging people who choose to live in city centre locations not to own cars in an effort to reduce the number of vehicles on the city's streets."

She said King Street was one of a number of new riverside developments not eligible for Respark.

A request by residents of the former NCP site recently went before the council and was turned down.

She said no group Respark request had been received for King Street.

Even if an application was tabled, a decision could take a year.

Updated: 10:11 Thursday, April 14, 2005