TOURISM leaders have given a warm welcome to the controversial proposals to redevelop York's Barbican Centre - but with strong reservations about the loss of coach and car parking.

The First Stop York Executive, which represents key tourism organisations in the city, says it sees the scheme as a major investment in the city's fabric, with clear benefits for job creation and York's role in the wider economy.

But it has concerns about the proposed removal of coach parking from Kent Street and the reduction of car parking facilities at the Barbican and in Kent Street.

First Stop York chairman Tony Bennett was giving the organisation's formal response to plans to refurbish the centre, build a 135-bedroom hotel and 240 apartments, and build a new community swimming pool and fitness suite on the coach park.

He said the tourism industry in York saw the auditorium as a "most critical facility for the city", and the proposals to improve it were strongly welcomed, as major conferences brought millions of pounds in benefits to the city.

The proposal for a four-star hotel with in-house leisure and conference facilities would complement the more limited service hotels that had developed recently in the city centre.

But there were concerns about the loss of coach parking spaces, and about car parking provision especially when major events were staged at the Barbican.

"Coaches bring vital business to the city each year (400,000 visitors) and Kent Street coach park provides a valued facility to coach operators (not least because of the facility to park there overnight)."

He said general parking provision was already under pressure, due to the development of several other city centre hotels with very limited on-site parking for customers. He called for attention to be given to such coach and car parking issues during forthcoming discussions on the Local Transport Plan.

Charlie Croft, City of York Council's assistant director of leisure and lifelong learning, said parking issues would be addressed as part of the planning process, and would have to be examined by the Barbican developers in a traffic impact assessment.

Updated: 08:23 Thursday, March 11, 2004