RESIDENTS are being asked whether they want the sale of York's Barbican site to fund a new community centre - or to pay for extra investment in existing facilities.

City of York Council has written to people living in the Fishergate area to outline the two options.

It is asking them to write back to leisure boss Charlie Croft to say which they prefer. The council agreed earlier this year to sell the Barbican site and also land on the nearby Kent Street coach park to Barbican Venture Ltd.

It said the money raised was millions less than originally expected, and the authority could no longer afford to build a swimming pool on the coach park to replace the one which closed down in 2004.

However, new multi-purpose community facilities could be built instead on the site.

Councillors later agreed that residents should be consulted on whether they would like such a centre, or would prefer for existing facilities to be given extra funding.

The authority says in its newsletter that the developer had offered either to build the community centre or to provide the council with £200,000 to help local groups, such as the Melbourne Centre, Funfishers, Space 109 and the three local primary schools. It says the centre would be a small building of about 1,300 square feet, that could accommodate, for example, a couple of activity rooms, toilets, kitchenette and store, with a covered play area for small children.

"A community group would need to be found who was prepared to manage it, so that it could be made available for a wide range of community groups and uses."

It says that if funding went to the local groups, it could be used to enhance improvements that were already being planned, or create something new, such as a multi-use games area with changing facilities at one of the schools.

"This would avoid unhelpful competition from a new facility, for example for evening lettings, and make use of what already exists."

Meanwhile, Mr Croft is planning to attend the next Fishergate ward meeting, on Thursday, April 6, at the Melbourne Centre, to tell residents what resources are available, and listen to how they would like the money spent.

Updated: 10:06 Tuesday, March 28, 2006