A DOCTORS’ practice is the latest organisation to speak out against plans to sell off York’s Union Terrace car and coach park.

GPs at Gillygate Surgery have written to York St John University to register their objections to plans by City of York Council’s ruling Labour group to sell the coach park to the university for a campus extension.

In a letter to vice-chancellor Prof David Fleming, Dr Cath Snape, Dr David Mazza, Dr Sarah Eaton and Dr Tillmann Jacobi said that with 6,375 patients in and around York, access to parking close to the surgery was “under severe threat”.

They said: “With the proposed sale of Union Terrace car park to your university for development, we and our patients are strongly opposed to this proposal. “Nearby Bootham Row car park is already at capacity and does not offer an alternative solution.

“Our patients are expressing their anxiety and concern to us and voicing their opposition to this proposal by signing petitions at the surgery against closure of this nearby parking facility.

“Our patients will suffer if this car park closes. The highest impact will inevitably be felt by our most vulnerable patients. This will impact not only on those who are frail, elderly, disabled, parents or guardians of young children and patients who need to be accompanied by carers or support workers when they come to see us, but also normally healthy patients who have become unwell or who are bringing a sick patient to see the doctor.”

The council and university say the car park plan will plough £2 million into a city centre revitalisation scheme and create more than 100 jobs.

A York St John University spokesperson said: “Over the last ten years, demand for degree places has more than doubled and a further 20 per cent growth in applications has been predicted by the end of 2011. We have successfully developed our existing campus and high-quality accommodation.

“However, the current space does not enable us to meet the substantial increase in interest in the University’s activities or to realise the exciting potential for growth in partnership work.

“We are happy to work with City of York Council to address any concerns that have been raised.”

A decision on Union Terrace will be made on August 4, following an extraordinary meeting of the council and a subsequent meeting of the Labour group’s cabinet.