LEISURE chiefs are considering 11 bids for York Barbican Centre.

But it will be more than two months before they can whittle them down to the most appealing offers.

The centre, and surrounding land currently used as a car park, was put on sale last month. But bidders were told their proposals must guarantee that public swimming facilities remain at the site.

Charlie Croft, the acting head of the York Leisure Office, said: "We have got 11 bids in and they are being technically assessed at the moment. Our property people are going through them with a fine-toothed-comb to see how they have kept to the brief that was given.

"They are drawing up a summary of each bid, and what is likely to happen is that in a couple of weeks, these summaries will go to members, together with recommendations from City of York Council's officers on which bids have met the brief and are worthy of further examination."

He said he would then expect members would choose four or five bids that they would want to know more about, and developers would be invited to come to have talks with them.

"It will be a lengthy process. It will take a couple of months to get to the stage of deciding on a couple of bids worthy of further examination, and then I would imagine there would be some form of public consultation."

A campaign to keep the Barbican swimming pool open, headed by the Evening Press, gathered massive support in York last year.

Council leader Rod Hills eventually promised it would remain, and ideas to redevelop the site were aired as a way to raise capital for its renovation.

Updated: 10:30 Saturday, August 18, 2001