PLANS to convert a former sub-station into York's first secure cycle park are set to be ditched.

City of York councillors will be told that spatial and financial constraints at the Lendal Bridge sub-station mean any operator would "struggle to make the enterprise viable".

The authority has been carrying out a study, undertaken by Halcrow Group, into whether the site could be used as a secure cycle park.

The research found a 100-space site would cost nearly £106,000 to build - generating about £25,000 a year (based on a daily £1 charge).

A council officers' report, which will be presented to members of the authority's ruling executive on October 24, will reveal that "in order for an operator to achieve the amount of revenue needed to pay the rent, business rates, staff and utility bills they would have to make a significant amount of money from their other activities.

"This may prove difficult due to the remaining floorspace available for ancilliary purposes."

The cycle park scheme would also include plans for a repair and hire shop.

Members will hear that while Micklegate ward members support the scheme, in principle, as do English Heritage, the York Cycle Campaign is concerned that the city's cyclists would not be willing to pay much to park their bicycles.

Councillors will be given the option of either converting the ground floor of the building to a cycle park, enabling the roof to be accessed from the caf, or selling the building.

Report author Andy Vose, a council transport planner, concludes the building should not be used "for the purposes of a cycle store".

He wrote: "It would be difficult to make this facility commercially viable without losing cycle parking capacity, which is unacceptable. No money had been allocated in the 2006/07 LTP capital programme to undertake these works and to accommodate them in 2007/08 would require at least half the annual budget.

"Given the risks associated with the success of the venture, this funding would probably be better spent elsewhere."

He concludes that the property should be sold on the open market with council officers investigating alternative locations on the edge of the city centre for the cycle park.