AMBITIOUS plans for a new visitor centre at an historic monument in the heart of York are going before the city council.

English Heritage has submitted its formal planning application for new facilities at Clifford’s Tower.

The organisation unveiled its hopes for the site earlier this year, and held a public consultation to give people chance to comment on the designs.

Now documents submitted to City of York Council show English Heritage want to build a low structure into the site of the motte beneath the ancient tower, facing south towards the Eye of York, to serve as a visitor centre.

The papers show designers considered putting the new building on each of the four sides of the tower, but opted for the southernmost site so the building can sit on level ground at the base of the motte, with the least possible impact on the slope's profile.

It also helps link the tower to the Crown Court and Castle Museum buildings and provides easy access to pedestrians.

If given the go-ahead, the proposals include a shop with a ticket office and “interpretation space", above which will sit a terrace with stairs leading to the tower.

Inside the tower itself, architects have designed a series of walkways and a timber roof terrace with space to rest and enjoy the views over the city, avoiding the “slow shuffle” visitors often have to do around the existing narrow walkways on busy days.

The papers also show designers considered but rejected various schemes - including tunnels, lifts, and a long spiral walkway around the motte, to make the tower more accessible.

A design and access statement says all of the possibilities would either impact on the tower visually, or undermine the structure, and as such English Heritage had to abandon the idea of step-free access and are instead proposing “virtual access” for less mobile people from the visitor centre.

Catering has not been included in the plans as a cafe would make the visitor centre too large.