CAMPAIGNERS' fears that a casino could one day be sited at York's Barbican Centre have been re-ignited by a letter from leisure chief Charlie Croft.

He said in correspondence with Selby MP John Grogan last month that "a casino could be located above the sports hall (which will be used for conference facilities) if a gaming licence was granted."

Ernie Dickinson, spokesman for the Save Our Barbican campaign, which obtained a copy of the letter, claimed today that the comments were just the latest in a series of conflicting and confusing statements by the authority about whether or not a redeveloped Barbican would eventually feature a casino.

He said that people attending a public meeting earlier this year had raised concerns about a casino so close to a residential area.

But when they asked for the Barbican lease to include terms barring a casino, Mr Croft had said there was no need for this as, if proposals came forward at a later date, planning permission would be required. However, when proposals to redevelop the Barbican were under discussion at a planning meeting last month, officers had said that permission would not be needed for a casino. But they had said that structural alterations to allow for a casino would require permission.

Mr Dickinson claimed a casino could open without structural alterations, and that officers did not seem to know what they were doing. "What the hell is going on?" he asked.

But Mr Croft said the position over a casino had always been perfectly clear. There were no current plans to open one, but if Absolute Leisure ever wanted to do so, the best location might be above what was currently the sports hall.

To open one there would require significant structural alterations requiring planning permission. A licence would also be needed, as would the permission of the landlord - the council.

Tony Knox, managing director of Absolute Leisure Ltd, which is due to take over the Barbican this autumn, was unavailable for comment.

But a spokeswoman has said previously that there was very little prospect of it ever seeking to run a casino there because, with the Government seeking to channel casinos into deprived areas to revitalise them, it was unlikely legislation would allow it.

Updated: 10:35 Friday, May 14, 2004