Too much car parking, too little space for buses – York Station plans should be put on hold, say passenger groups

York passenger groups have called for plans to revamp the front of York Station to be put on hold.

They say there is too much car parking in the plans, and inadequate space for buses.

Tony May, from York Civic Trust, told councillors there will be more than 1,100 parking spaces at the station when the new multi storey is combined with spaces at the rear of the station in York Central.

He said: “The five bus stops in each direction will, we suggest, be inadequate.

“There’s also a problem with the capacity of the loop road and particularly its junction with Queen Street for allowing buses to turn.

“The council has set itself a target of being carbon neutral by 2030. It doesn’t, as I understand it, yet have a strategy for achieving this.”

‘It is a very tight site’

Dave Merrett of York Environment Forum said he has concerns about the parking and space for buses, adding: “These proposals completely fly in the face of the council’s declaration of a climate emergency and of its intent to remove non-essential traffic from the city centre.”

Alan Robinson of York Bus Forum said: “We’ve heard it said the scheme reduces carbon emissions but it’s pretty clear it could do more, and therefore it should.

“The provision for buses will be inadequate. We therefore request that the application be deferred.

“The changes needn’t be too great and if we do it right the outcome could be not just better but excellent.”

Councillors were told the space is limited and there has been a great deal of consultation with residents, businesses and transport groups to design a scheme that balances their different needs.

Council transport boss Tony Clarke said: “It is a very tight site.

“Our designers are confident. We’re increasing the bus stop capacity from about 120 buses an hour now to 212.

“There is a significant improvement.

“Also here are changes proposed as part of the York Central scheme that potentially some of the bus services that currently come to the front of the station will operate from the rear of the station.”

The multi storey car park is being funded and developed by Network Rail and a condition of the operator leasing its land to the council for the scheme is that current parking levels at the station are maintained.

James Gilchrist from the council said: “As ever in a constrained space we have to juggle the competing demands. We will never get everything given the space we’ve got.”