SKATEBOARDERS will transform part of a car park into a trick arena if proposals are accepted.

City of York Council's leisure chiefs have asked for permission to turn a section of the multi-storey car park in St Maurice's Road, next to Sainsbury's, over to skaters, BMX riders and boarders.

The arena would replace a car park in Piccadilly which is currently used by stunt riders and is set for redevelopment as part of the proposed Coppergate expansion.

The Foss Bank arena, which be created in an area currently used for storage, would have its own entrance and it would not mean reducing the number of the existing parking bays.

It would be more permanent, meaning heavy ramps and jumps would not have to be moved.

Charlie Croft, the council's acting director of leisure services, said: "The Piccadilly park is coming out of use and it is in a very bad condition.

"The new site is better equipped for ramps and jumps. It is not heavily used at the moment and it can be dedicated for use for this purpose. I think this proposal is part of plans to increase its use."

He said the Piccadilly skateboard park was very well used and popular with young people, with about 50 attending a Sunday session.

The new park would offer more sessions, although it was not expected to be open every day.

"It is very busy at Piccadilly at the moment, and this new scheme would extend the number of sessions that skaters and BMX riders could use the facility," said Mr Croft.

"As I understand it, the plan is that it will be very much run by the young people themselves. I think they make their own ramps, and we would be looking at setting up a user group to run it."

A spokesman for local consultants Constructive Individuals, who would be involved in the project, said: "Part of the two-level car park has been identified as being suitable for a skate park."

Plans to pull down the Sainsbury's and Homebase stores next to the car park and replace them with a bigger shop were announced last month.

York skateboarder, Russ, who works at Mayhem, in Jubbergate, York, said: "The Piccadilly park is getting very rundown and this new one certainly would be welcome."