PLANS for a cycle path across York's new tennis centre site in Hull Road have been turned down by city councillors.

The application was put in by Next Generation Clubs and York St John College because they were told to install a cycle route at the site as part of the planning permission agreement on the tennis centre.

But City of York councillors decided there was no need for the extra route when cyclists could already use Windmill Lane to reach a cycle path which runs around the University of York grounds to University Road.

They asked officers instead to look into improving the Windmill Lane route and possibly the section of University Road which links Heslington Road to the existing cycle path.

They had heard objections to the planned path from the university and its students' union.

Ken Batten, representing both the university and its students' union, said: "It would be creating another section where you get flashers and sexual assaults."

Ward councillor David Wilde said he knew the site well. "The existing path takes students where they want to go. It would be superfluous to put this track in."

Updated: 10:25 Saturday, August 31, 2002