A NEW £3 MILLION Park & Ride site looks set to be built on the outskirts of York, council transport chiefs revealed today.

The 500-car capacity site would be built at an as-yet-undisclosed location in Wigginton, though planners have said the possibility of sharing with Clifton Moor retail park would be looked at.

If the plans are given the go-ahead, the site, York's seventh, would be up-and-running within four years.

Bill Woolley, City of York Council's assistant director of community development and transport, said no location had been chosen or money committed yet.

But he said the success of Park & Ride in York - a five-year passenger target was met within a year - meant the council had to look at expanding the service.

Any service running from the Wigginton site would also serve York Hospital.

Mr Woolley said: "Park & Ride is a very popular service and we are in the early stages of looking at a new site.

"We would be consulting very carefully, in a similar way to the public consultation held over the proposals for a Park & Ride site in the Poppleton area.

"We are aware there is an awful lot of parking at retail parks in the area, so we will talk to the retailers about the possibility of sharing."

Graham Audus, spokesman for Fossgate Traders' Association, has played on a leading role in campaigns on behalf of city centre retailers.

Protests have been centred on securing current levels of city centre car parking, with a petition carrying more than 2,000 signatures handed to leading York councillors last year. He said: "We are not opposed to Park & Ride, but there has got to be a balance. This site is to cost £3 million, surely that is £3 million that could have been spent on encouraging people to come into York, and on keeping car parking charges down.

"Shops are already closing. If York loses the retail diversity it is well known for then city centre traders have big problems."

Lorna Marchi, who runs York Riding School, in Wigginton Road, near Clifton Moor, said traffic was so heavy near the school the site would not make much difference.

Updated: 16:07 Tuesday, January 14, 2003