OPPOSITION councillors have asked why new proposals for the future of a York coach and car park have emerged only before a crunch meeting.

City of York Council’s ruling Labour cabinet will meet on Thursday to discuss the potential sale of the Union Terrace site to York St John University for a campus expansion.

Fresh options which are now set to be considered will involve retaining some or all of the car parking space, and a public consultation lasting at least six weeks is set to be launched following’s Thursday’s meeting.

Union Terrace protest song by Orange Galaxy

Liberal Democrat leader Carol Runciman, whose party have called an extraordinary council meeting on Thursday to debate the withdrawal of the sale, criticised Labour over an original report on the controversial scheme which did not include these options, and accused council leader James Alexander of “disastrously managing” the proposals.

She said: “He says he asked for alternative options to be drawn up ten days ago, but it seems he didn’t share that request with the cabinet member for corporate services, Coun Julie Gunnell.

“If he had, perhaps her original report wouldn’t have recommended selling the whole site. None of Coun Alexander’s proposals have been through the usual decision-making process and announcements have appeared in the media before anybody affected by his plans has been informed.”

She said the plans were “so tainted” that the only sensible option was to withdraw from the sale.