ART, culture and creative industries should be at heart of the future planning of York.

That was the conclusion of about 80 residents, professionals and business people who attended a public discussion about the importance of art and culture in the city's development over the next quarter of a century.

The debate was organised at Bootham School by York Architectural Association, York@Large and York UNESCO City of Media Arts in association with Beam (Arts in Place).

Professor Christopher Bailey, who chairs the cultural partnership York@Large, said it was agreed that arts and culture should be a key part of York's forthcoming Local Plan.

He said Steve Brown, chief executive of the destination management organisation Make it York, had said that York Central - the massive redevelopment site behind York Railway Station - offered 'fantastic opportunities' for people from the cultural sector to get involved. He also referred to the space available in Shambles market for cultural and artistic activities in the evening after the market had closed.

Prof Bailey said people praised the use of empty shops and other business premises for the temporary display of artworks and said there should be more such usage.

Jonathan Taylor, headmaster of Bootham School, said the place of art in public spaces went well beyond the traditional concept of statues to worthy figures or even fountains in the public square.

“For our students, it is the challenge of fostering individual identity with place, and employing creative minds to building a better world for the future which is at the heart of the question."

Charlotte Harrison, chair of the architectural association, said yesterday that unless the arts and culture were embedded within urban development, the result could be a soulless collection of buildings, with meaningless left-over space.

She said the various parties involved in the discussion would now be seeking a meeting with high level planning officials at City of York Council to discuss ways of ensuring the arts and culture were a key part of the Local Plan. "There's an opportunity to get something in the Local Plan; at the moment there's nothing," she added.