AMBITIOUS plans for a multi-million-pound “cultural quarter” in York could be delayed or scaled down, as the recession continues to hit investors.

City of York Council leader Andrew Waller says the money required to make the £74 million vision come true may no longer be fully available. Some museum and gallery bosses have also admitted that the original timescales now look over-optimistic.

The key players in the project say they remain committed to improving the quarter, but could have to restrict their plans.

Dan Bates, chief executive of York Theatre Royal said: “The timing may change a little bit and that’s to do with funding.”

He said the theatre had not been rejected for funding, as it had not yet applied, but he said the proposals may have to be “re-timetabled”.

Part of the theatre’s expansion is also likely to be affected by the council delaying its move away from St Leonard’s Place, as is the redevelopment of the council offices across the road.

Janet Barnes, his counterpart at York Museums Trust, said much work had already been done, such on the Hospitium in Museum Gardens, but said future developments may be less expensive than first planned.

The quarter is planned for the area stretching from York Minster to the National Railway Museum (NRM), and also includes York Art Gallery, Yorkshire Museum and Museum Gardens, King’s Manor, York Central Library and St Leonard’s Place.

Coun Waller said many projects were still going ahead, such as the revamp of Central Library and improvements to the NRM, but he warned external funding organisations may be less able to fund all the proposals.

“We would be supportive of the schemes that are already underway, but it would be wrong to assume that outside funders will have the available funds for new schemes that they have had to date.”

The council executive will consider the final report by the cultural quarter scrutiny committee next Tuesday. Coun Waller said its aims and proposals were “not unreasonable, if the timescales are altered to take account of the recession.”

The original plans, outlined last October, involved £74 million of public or private money being spent by 2015.

Janet Barnes, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said: “These were not plans; these were ambitions.”

She said the discussions about the cultural quarter had benefited all the organisations involved, whatever ultimately happened.

She added: “Although Coun Waller is quite right in saying it’s difficult in this day and age to get money, we are carrying on with the projects we have – they will just be less expensive.”

Ms Barnes said the planned £2 million redevelopment of the Yorkshire Museum would almost certainly still go ahead.

NRM director Andrew Scott said money was harder to come by now than in the past, but said: “At the NRM, the Heritage Lottery Fund has recently indicated its desire to support our major re-display project, which – if it’s finally granted – will be their biggest museum grant in the current round.

“The challenge for us is to use that support from other funding agencies to help ensure we are reinvesting in York’s tourism economy.”

Spokesmen for York Minster and York St John University said their plans were unaffected by the recession and would continue as intended.