A PARKING space in York's Castle car park was turfed over today by campaigners who want the area below Clifford's Tower to become public parkland.

Bemused motorists - and a parking attendant - watched as York Green Party members bought a parking ticket for the grass and then settled down in chairs to enjoy the early morning sunshine.

But there was no attempt to clamp the "sods", which were later set to be removed by the Greens.

The symbolic turf-laying ceremony was organised in the wake of the Government's recent decision to throw out Land Securities' £60 million Coppergate Riverside scheme to redevelop the site with shops and apartments.

Green councillor Andy D'Agorne said they wanted to highlight the Greens' contribution to Without Walls, York's community plan, which the party believed should acknowledge the broad public support for a public park.

"Now that the Coppergate scheme has been so resoundingly rejected, the Without Walls process must recognise the broad public support for the area between Clifford's Tower and the Foss to be turned into a public park, with replacement parking on the Piccadilly side of the river," he said.

Fellow Green councillor Mark Hill said there needed to be more green spaces in York, and it was "inexcusable" for the council to argue that the money lost through the closure of the Castle Car Park had to be recovered by the over-development of such a sensitive site.

Meanwhile, the Castle Area Campaign - one of the organisations which opposed Coppergate Riverside - is planning to stage a "victory parade" at 3.15pm tomorrow from the Mansion House to the Barbican Centre, where it is displaying a stand as part of a Without Walls conference.

Updated: 10:42 Tuesday, September 23, 2003