PLANS to build a £6.2 million extension at a York primary school have been put on hold.

Senior City of York councillors postponed a decision on the Scarcroft Primary extension to give more parents a chance to have their say on the proposals.

The authority's executive was being urged to support the building of a 210-place extension on the nearby Millthorpe School site, however, they decided to adjourn the discussion to allow another public meeting to take place.

A public meeting was held by Micklegate ward councillors on Tuesday to answer questions, but those involved, including Cllr Lars Kramm said more time was needed to speak with constituents.

He said: "We would like to have had a meeting much earlier in the year to discuss the proposals with neighbours but we were told we couldn't do that before the papers had been officially advertised in the formal way."

Cllr Jenny Brookes, the executive member responsible for Schools, told the meeting: "As was recognised by parents at a meeting only two days ago, we want to be able to listen to those parents and we said we wanted the meeting to be about the issue and not about not being listened to."

The Millthorpe extension has got the backing of education bosses, at the expense of competing plans to put a whole new school on the Terrys car park site at Nun Ings, land behind The Grove and The Square off Tadcaster Road, or on the current sites of either Bishopthorpe Infant or Archbishop of York CE Junior schools.

According to population predictions, school extensions are required in York, with 21 new reception class spaces required by 2017, and between 100 and 160 additional places by the 2022/23 school year.