THIS radical alternative to York's controversial Coppergate Riverside scheme was unveiled today.

The vision, provisionally named The Castle Quarter, includes a major new public square between Clifford's Tower and the River Foss - said to "complement rather than violate the historic environment."

It also involves:

- Limited new retail and caf bar development to complete the existing Coppergate Centre, and a new "cultural building" alongside the Castle Museum

- Piccadilly regenerated as a tree-lined boulevard, with a mix of housing, cafs, restaurants and local shops but no big new department store or new car park

- Riverside courtyards alongside the Foss reflecting the patterns of the original wharfs.

Its proponents say they aim to create a "genuine urban quarter of the sort that characterises many of Europe's historic cities - attractive, liveable, memorable and sustainable."

Award-winning urban designers Regan Miller Associates were commissioned to create the concept by Martin Burgess and Eric Jackson, owners of the former Polar Motors properties in Piccadilly which are due for redevelopment under Coppergate Riverside.

Mr Burgess says it will be put to the planning inspector due to conduct a public inquiry this autumn into Land Securities' £60 million Riverside proposals.

He hoped the inspector could be shown there was an alternative when he decided whether or not to recommend the go-ahead for Riverside.

"The Coppergate scheme resurrects the worst thinking from the 1960s and 1970s, when "comprehensive redevelopment" blighted many a city," he claimed.

John Regan, of Regan Miller Associates, said he had simply explored a general concept at this stage, to offer an alternative that would promote a better level of public debate.

A glossy leaflet outlining the Castle Quarter idea has been produced and will be sent to councillors, York Civic Trust and Land Securities, and will subsequently be made available to members of the public. It says: "To realise such a vision would require a collaborative effort - a shared endeavour between public and private interests. "It would require good planning and design, co-operation and flexibility, tenacity, imagination and good timing, and above all the determination of all parties to create a worthy contribution to the history of our city."

Roy Templeman, City of York Council's director of environment and development services, said he had not yet seen the proposals but would be very interested to do so.

He said he would need to examine a range of issues, including whether the vision was in line with local planning requirements and objectives, and whether or not it was "deliverable."

He also spoke of the loss to the public purse of half a million pounds a year, and of parking spaces to shoppers, if the Castle car park was scrapped without replacement parking being provided elsewhere.

Richard Akers, portfolio director with Land Securities, said today: "It is difficult to comment fully without having seen this alternative vision. We are, however, aware of the many complex issues affecting proposed development of this site and would be interested in discussing with Mr Burgess how these would be tackled - particularly the question of alternative parking to compensate for the loss of the popular Castle Car Park."

Updated: 11:56 Friday, July 06, 2001