Planners are backing two schemes which will change the face of a York street and cut down on the city's car parking spaces.

The first scheme is to extend the Lord Mayor's Walk campus of the College of Ripon and York St John on to the Clarence Street coach park.

The second, which has prompted much opposition, is to convert the 476-space car park opposite into a coach and car park with spaces for 194 cars, 39 coaches, eight motorcycles and 12 cycles.

The college's plan would see three new buildings go up as part of its expansion in York, as it prepares to shut its Ripon campus in the summer.

A three-storey learning centre, with a curved frontage, would be built on the coach park, which would include a library, a lecture theatre and an Internet caf.

A sports science and psychology building would be built on the site of the existing swimming pool, health centre and squash courts, with a third building behind.

Planners say loss of the swimming pool, which is used by schools and community groups, would be made up for by community use of the new sports hall, gym and learning centre.

The loss of car parking involved in the second application has prompted objections from nearby residents in Union Terrace and Claremont Terrace, as well as concern from York Health Services, as many hospital visitors and patients use the car park.

Residents are also concerned about the noise of coaches, especially when stationary with running engines, about increased noise and pollution and about whether there would be enough car parking spaces in the city.

Mr Carr said that extensive tests had been carried out to compare existing noise and pollution levels with projected levels. These found that they would not exceed existing levels.

He said the coach section of the car park would be located in the middle, furthest from the houses, and that the coach park would open at 8am and close at 8.30pm. Coaches would be able to leave between 8.30pm and 11pm.

A study by consultants Oscar Faber had looked at the effect of the loss of car spaces, together with the loss of parking at other sites in the city, most notably Tanner Row and Esplanade car parks.

"The study concludes that car parks in the city have enough spare capacity to accommodate the redistribution of vehicles on an average week day and that even on busy Saturdays the parking demand can be met through redistribution of traffic to other sites as well as Park and Ride."

The applications will come before councillors at the Guildhall on Thursday.

* If approved, both decisions will have to be referred to the Secretary of State, the first because it would be a departure from the 1956 Development Town Map and the car park because it is on land owned by the council.

Updated: 11:15 Monday, April 09, 2001