A PARISH council is to object over plans to build part of a new Park&Ride site in York on land which was made a village green 45 years ago.

The creation of the 600-space car park at Poppleton will play a major role in City of York Council’s £22 million Access York project, aimed at tackling congestion in the city.

Construction is due to start early next year.

Recent studies have revealed a section of the land was designated for community use as a village green in 1967.

City of York Council said it will apply to alter the layout of the development so a green space can be included. But following a meeting with transport chiefs, Upper Poppleton Parish Council has said it will formally object.

It claimed local residents had not been fully informed of the village green situation or consulted about it.

In a statement, the parish council’s chairman, Peter Hawkins, said last week’s meeting was the first time they had been informed of the “process to remove village green status” and said this had caused “annoyance” as it believed it had been kept out of the loop.

He said: “It was felt this was symptomatic of the city council’s attitude to parish councils in general, with a failure to recognise they are elected bodies who are fully authorised and have a duty to represent the views of the electorate they serve.”

Access York received £15.3 million in Government funding last year, and the project will also include an upgrade of the A59/A1237 roundabout and bus priority measures on Boroughbridge Road and the replacement of the Askham Bar Park&Ride site with a larger, 1,100-space car park.

The city council has said it will apply to make a “limited amendment” to the Poppleton site’s design to allow a “village green area” to be incorporated. The council said this would mean the land can be used as a “high-quality community asset for the first time”.

It said full details would emerge when the proposal is submitted this month and any changes will not affect the timescales or cost of the project.