AN ARCHITECT has claimed that York city could have been saved the burden of car parking charges if the council had not had to pay out thousands of pounds for lost planning appeals.

Matthew Laverack, of The Architect Shop, Lord Mayor's Walk, York, has called on planners to listen carefully to their officers when considering applications.

"There are a lot of applications being refused against officers' advice. It is not unknown for members to be proved right and subsequent appeals to be dismissed - but this is very rare.

"It is much more common in these circumstances for those appeals to be allowed with an award of costs against the council," he told planning committee members yesterday.

"I would urge you to think very carefully before refusing such applications.

"This city faces a £10 million cash shortfall next year and York council has already paid out over £66,000 in appeal costs.

"If these sums had not been lost this city might perhaps not even have car parking charges at this time."

He added: "It is very easy to be brave with someone else's money. It is very easy to make a stand knowing that, if all goes wrong, somebody else will pay for it."

But Councillor Charles Hall replied: "If we have to follow officers all the time what would be the point of us sitting here? I was elected to represent people's views."

Before the meeting, Mr Laverack told the Evening Press there were also "hidden costs" involved for the council in appeal cases, such as the need for extra officer time.

He said he had won more than £12,000 in recent years from successful appeals, but stressed the inconvenience and delays involved.

"The appeal system is clogged up and a typical appeal can take ten months to come to fruition."

One of those appeals which Mr Laverack won, costing York Council almost £3,000, was for a single-storey extension to a semi-detached house in Heworth Hall Drive, York.

Updated: 10:53 Friday, August 13, 2004