PLANS to abandon the building of two new super carehomes in York have been accepted by senior councillors.

City of York Council had for four years been working towards a scheme for the sites of Lowfields and Burnholme schools.

But now the authority has announced that the plans would be unaffordable - up to £1.5 million over budget a year - and radically changed plans which include an upgrade for sheltered housing and more "extra care" provision.

Last night the city council's cabinet agreed to the new scheme which was supported by York Housing Association and the Vale of York CCG - with the CCG's deputy chief medical officer Dr Andrew Philips praising the plans to put older people's housing close to care and health facilities like the GP surgeries.

The housing association's Kevin McAleese said there were "no easy answers" to the problems posed by an ageing population.

Luke Barnett, of York's CVS said there had been disappointment in the voluntary sector to see plans they had worked hard on and been involved with abandoned.

He said it was important to make sure the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors, as well as residents, were kept involved.

Cabinet member and Conservative group leader Cllr Chris Steward said that while the supported anything that kept people in their own homes, his party was appalled to the project abandoned after £350,000 was spent on it.

He said it was ridiculous that councillors had been so in the dark that Cllr Paul Doughty, the Conservative chairman of the health scrutiny committee, had to submit Freedom of Information requests on it.

Cllr Linsay Cunningham, the cabinet member responsible, added: "I understand the frustrations that may people have had over the last year or so asking for progress reports. It's the nature of this type of procurement."

She also said that Liberal Democrat calls to go back to the original "care village" plans for Lowfields, rather than the new plan for housing, would leave the council needing to find £1.5 million extra a year to sustain it.

The same cabinet meeting approved £25,000 funding to work towards a Business Improvement District in York; and gave council staff instructions to keep working on outer ring road improvement plans.