THE huge difference between the costs of three potential access roads into the York Central redevelopment site emerged today as a public consultation was launched.

Details and maps of the roads - two coming from Water End and one coming from Holgate Road - have been published at an exhibition being staged this afternoon at St Barnabas Church off Leeman Road.

York Central Partnership said this and three further exhibitions would give the local community chance to comment, with their views 'helping to inform the final decision' on its preferred route into the 72 hectare site, where up to 1,500 new homes and 100,000 square metres of commercial space are planned.

Two of the routes would cross areas of open space - the Holgate Community Garden if access from Holgate Road was chosen and the Leeman Road Millennium Green if one of the Water End options was picked.

The partnership revealed today that the route going through the green, known as Western option 02, would be about 45 per cent cheaper than the route from Water End which would just skirt the edge of the green, dubbed Western option 01.

A spokesman said the 'Southern option' route from Holgate Road would be approximately 65 per cent cheaper than the most expensive route from Water End.

He said this option would not require work near the East Coast Main Line and a cheaper single-span bridge could be lifted into place.

He said both Water End options would include the creation of a new traffic light signalled road junction at the eastern end of the existing Water End road bridge over the East Coast Main Line (ECML).

They would also mean a new road through the York Central site to link to the western entrance of York Station and on to Leeman Road, plus a further road to connect with the western end of Leeman Road The spokesman said the total anticipated cost of each scheme was not yet known but confirmed it was millions.

The remaining exhibitions will take place at St Paul’s Church in Holgate Road, between 4pm and 8pm on Wednesday, August 30, at The Marriot Room at Explore Library, in Library Square, Museum Street, between noon and 4 pm on Saturday, September 2 and in the Duchess of Hamilton Suite at the National Railway Museum in Leeman Road, between noon and 4 pm on Saturday September 9.