A STUDENT has hit out at York College's plans to stop newly-qualified drivers from parking at the new campus.

Hannah Dawes, 17, passed her driving test last month and has been driving her Toyota Yaris to classes at York College from her home in Low Catton, near Stamford Bridge, ever since.

But a recent letter from the college has left her angry that she could have to go back to catching two buses, the first leaving at 7.35am, to get her into York on time.

The letter states that to qualify for a £60 parking permit when the new college opens in September, all drivers will have to have been driving for at least nine months.

Hannah said: "It's just totally ridiculous and unfair. It takes one-and-a-half hours, in rush hour, traffic to get in on the bus.

"I can't believe it, they should at least think about doing it according to how far away from college people live."

Her dad, driving instructor Jim Dawes, said Hannah also uses her car to make daily trips to visit her 92-year-old grandmother Vera Dawes, who lives in nearby Bishopthorpe.

Mr Dawes said: "The college must have known about this for a long time and to send out these letters now, just before the end of term seems completely unfair - we feel almost victimised.

"Hannah is the only college student in our village, so it's not like she could even share a lift in with anyone and she needs her car for a part-time job she does in York.

"The college is claiming it's for environmental reasons, but it seems to me they just haven't got enough parking provision." York College is due to move to its new £60 million campus in Sim Balk Lane designed for around 13,000 students in September.

There are about 650 parking spaces at the new college - about 50 fewer than there are currently at Tadcaster Road.

Graeme Murdoch, deputy principal, said: "The system we are implementing for parking includes reducing the number of vehicles on the campus, encouraging other modes of transport use - a condition of our planning approval for the new college - and therefore reducing our carbon footprint.

"The college has concluded that the nine months with a full driving licence arrangement for car drivers was the most appropriate way to deal with this situation after very careful consideration and an extensive consultation exercise with staff and students.

"Distance from college was one of the other mechanisms considered, but was eventually rejected on the grounds of impracticality and its openness to abuse.

"The college has adopted the approach of allowing any learner who currently parks at the Tadcaster Road site, using a valid vehicle permit (obtained before June 11) to continue to park at the new college in 2007/08, even if they don't meet the nine months criterion."