THE Save Our Barbican (SOB) campaign has been banned by York council leader Steve Galloway from lobbying for support inside the sports and leisure centre.

The group has been told it will have to pay a fee if it wants to hold any more public meetings there.

The campaign group is seeking backing for its calls for a public inquiry, following last week's planning committee decision in favour of proposals to revamp the auditorium, relocate sports facilities elsewhere, build 240 apartments, a 135-bedroom hotel and a new community swimming pool.

It is also pressing for the main pool and training pool to stay open until the planning process has been completed.

Spokesman Ernie Dickinson said he and other campaign leaders had been told they are no longer welcome inside the centre, and their posters have been torn down and petition forms ripped up.

He said members had instead been lobbying for support outside the premises, and had already given out almost 1,000 leaflets explaining to people why they believed there should be an inquiry.

The group has previously held a series of meetings in the centre's upper floor, attended by up to 150 people, at which opponents have spoken out against the proposals and devised a campaign strategy. Mr Dickinson said they would now have to hold such meetings elsewhere, after being told they would have to pay in future.

City of York Council leader Steve Galloway, who has claimed that campaigners' comments and tactics have involved some of the worst disinformation ever seen in York, confirmed that he had ordered the restrictions.

He said the council had been "very fair" in allowing campaigners to use the Barbican up to now, during the consultation process leading to the planning committee meeting.

However, that process had now ended and he wanted to avoid a confusing message going out to customers. Campaigners had freedom of speech, and could continue with their campaign, but they should pay for facilities at the Barbican like any other users.

Mr Dickinson said SOB members already regularly paid to use Barbican facilities. "He (Coun Galloway) is jumping up and down like a petulant child."

Meanwhile, Mr Dickinson has said that SOB is also concerned that the Barbican pools are being "closed by stealth", with only one of them kept open at any one time, staff being diverted elsewhere, furniture and equipment being moved out daily and timetables being changed at a moment's notice.

"Many people have spoken to us in disgust at having turned up to use the pool for an advertised event only to be told their event has been cancelled," he claimed.

Updated: 10:45 Tuesday, April 27, 2004