Furious campaigners vowed today they would still try to formulate a "fighting strategy" in a last-ditch bid to halt work on York's controversial Northern Gateway.

They will meet tonight to discuss what action they can take to prevent the city council going ahead with the controversial new £2.5m park and ride on green belt land.

But they admitted Environment Secretary John Prescott may have left them with few options.

Members of the Northern Gateway Group today slammed Mr Prescott's decision, saying he had given the scheme the green light, despite its damaging environmental impact.

They had hoped the Secretary of State for Transport, Environment and the Regions would refer the decision to a public inquiry.

Nick Blitz, secretary of the Northern Gateway Group, said: "I am surprised and disappointed. We thought with City of York being the applicant, the Department of the Environment would have bent over backwards to be seen to be presenting a level playing field."

Campaigners plan a "peaceful demonstration" this week against the latest proposals for a £60 million extension to York's Coppergate Centre. The objectors will launch a campaign of "counter information" when developer Land Securities parades a revised version of the scheme which, it claims, answers previous objections. The York Alliance, a protest group led by former leading planners on the old York city council as well as senior architects and conservationists in the city, will demonstrate wherever the City of York Council's 10am to 5pm mobile exhibition showing a model of the scheme takes place in the city - at Exhibition Square tomorrow and St Sampson's Square on Thursday and Friday.

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