A LEADING York councillor has put forward plans for a disabled walkway linking York Station and the city centre.

Coun Sue Galloway, City of York Council's executive member for social services and health, said she had the idea after watching wheelchair users struggling over Lendal Bridge, where the narrow pavement and crowds of people can make progress difficult for them.

Members of the Disabled Persons' Advisory Group are to discuss the proposal at a meeting on March 22.

The walkway - funded by York Business Pride - would start outside the railway station and run underneath Lendal Bridge, along part of the river, ending at Ouse Bridge.

Explaining the plans, Coun Galloway said: "We realised that there was quite a nice route from the station through the Memorial Gardens and under Lendal Bridge. But it's in very early stages at the moment."

She said the walkway would not involve extensive building work, but would be a sign-posted alternative route into the city centre.

She said: "I don't think it would cost a great deal of money - most of the infrastructure for it is already there."

If the plans go ahead, they could include transforming the garden area outside the Norwich Union building in Rougier Street into a "sensory" garden for disabled people.

Julian Horsley, equalities officer for City of York Council, is a wheelchair user. He said: "It can be difficult if you are a wheelchair user amongst crowds of people - it can feel like people are rushing past you all the time.

"It's about providing an accessible route for people to get into town. I have not been able to find anywhere else that has done anything like this in a city centre - so it could be quite ground-breaking."

If advisory group members approve the plans, disabled members are to be invited to test the route this April.

Mr Horsley said: "We want to involve disabled people in the process of planning this."

A York GNER spokesman said: "We look forward to seeing the plans. We hope it's a success, and that it benefits disabled people getting into the city centre."

lucy.stephens@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 09:34 Saturday, March 06, 2004