Work on building York's controversial Northern Gateway park and ride scheme is set to start in July.

Opponents of the £2.5 million development conceded for the first time today that they cannot now stop the project, which was given the go-ahead by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in November.

But they vowed to press for a series of safeguards to protect the local community from problems such as light and noise pollution.

City of York Council is preparing to seek tenders to construct the car park and associated facilities just off the A19 at Rawcliffe.

The council is inviting applications from "competent and suitably qualified" contractors to be considered for inclusion on a tender shortlist and is expecting to issue tender documents to selected contractors at the end of February. It envisages a 40-week contract period with a start being made on the at the beginning of July.

Council officials say the development will include a 240 metre access road, a 24,000 square metre car park, substantial landscaping, foul and surface water pumping stations, toilets, a building to accommodate park rangers and a 17.5 hectare country park.

Nick Blitz, secretary of the Northern Gateway Group which fought a bitter battle to block the scheme, said today that it simply did not have the resources to take the matter to a judicial review, and had reluctantly come to accept that the scheme would go ahead.

Now it planned to press for safeguards to ensure that the development would cause as little impact as possible for the local community.

"We are taking a conciliatory approach. The council says it's a listening council. Let's see if it is."

Mr Blitz said a number of issues needed to be addressed. He wanted to ensure that lighting, while necessary for security and safety reasons when the car park was open, was switched off after the car park closed to prevent night-time light pollution - as has been experienced at the discount outlet centre at Fulford.

"There must be proper security so it doesn't become a de facto skid pan at night and a campsite for the travelling community," he said.

He also wanted a barrier of 200 trees and bushes on Shipton Road to be planted as soon as possible, to ensure it helped screen the development from local houses.

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