THE size of a planned tennis centre in York has been slashed - reducing the impact on the neighbouring respite care centre.

But staff at the Woodlands Respite Care Centre in Thief Lane, which looks after multiple sclerosis sufferers, are still concerned that its residents will be badly affected by the planned David Lloyd tennis centre in Hull Road.

The joint proposal to build a tennis centre on the seven-acre site, submitted by Lloyd's firm, Next Generation Clubs, and York St John College, was approved in August last year subject to certain criteria, and the agreement concluded in April.

But after consultation Next Generation has decided that two of the eight indoor tennis courts planned for the centre will not be needed.

Amendments have now been proposed which scale down the development slightly and move it 14m away from the respite care home.

Members of City of York Council's planning committee will discuss the proposed amendments at a meeting on Thursday.

Mick Britton, area development control officer for the council, said the proposed changes were not as a result of complaints from the respite centre or neighbouring residents.

He said: "It's at Next Generation's behest because they no longer need two of the courts.

"It's come about purely as the scheme has evolved."

Vanessa Lindsay Smith, general manager of the respite care centre, agrees that the proposed changes will improve the situation for her residents - but only slightly.

And she is still worried that a proposed cycle path, due to be discussed at a meeting in December, will attract vandals.

She said: "The amendment in itself will result in the development having less of an impact, but it's very marginal.

"The impact is still substantial - the noise, the operation, the length of hours.

"It will be open in the morning until late at night and it is in close proximity of our complex where our most dependent people come to get respite - would you put it next to a hospice?

"There are still unresolved planning issues and I'm disappointed that this is not being considered at the same time as the application for the cycle path, to which we have objected, because the two are very much interlinked."

The proposed changes will reduce the number of indoor tennis courts from eight to six, although there will still be five outdoor courts, and move the position of the car park.

Around 17m would be shaved off the front of the building, setting it back further from Hull Road, and the car park would fill the space previously occupied by the building.

This would provide an additional landscaped buffer to the adjacent care centre.

A report to councillors says: "The proposed amendments do not fundamentally alter the scheme, hence officers are satisfied that the changes can be considered as amendments without a revised application being required.

"By their scale and nature they do not have an increased impact on anyone. Indeed the reduction actually lessens the impact of the development upon the respite care home, as they concede.

"The chances do present an opportunity to consider changing the cycle route, but this should be pursued via the outstanding planning application if members are sympathetic to this view."

Updated: 09:56 Monday, October 22, 2001