CITY of York Council was attacked today over its decision to close the Barbican Centre in May, before it knows whether the redevelopment can go ahead.

Green councillor Andy D'Agorne claimed the ruling Liberal Democrat group and officers had gambled on the scheme winning widespread support and planning matters being resolved by May, so building work could start as soon as the complex closed.

"That is evidently not going to happen," said Coun D'Agorne, in whose Fishergate ward the centre is situated.

"The growing clamour of opposition from residents and users, pressing for a public inquiry, makes it difficult to see how anything can happen quickly.

"Coppergate Riverside was agreed by the planning committee in November 2000, considered at a public inquiry in 2002 and finally rejected in September 2003, nearly three years later.

"On that timescale, a decision (on the Barbican) could take until the end of 2006, before any work even starts on building new facilities. That's assuming the plans are approved."

He demanded to know what the options were for continued use of the centre, where staff were recently issued with redundancy notices.

"Why close everything when the buildings will be mothballed for years?"

He said one of the main demands of the Save Our Barbican campaign should be to keep the centre running, even on a skeleton basis, so that local people could still benefit from at least some of the facilities until a decision was made.

"Sitting tight and hoping to ride out the storm is not an option."

Coun Keith Orrell, executive member for leisure and heritage, said today that contingency plans had been prepared to deal with various timescales related to planning permission.

"These will be brought into operation as is necessary," he said. But he declined to go into detail about what the contingency plans involved.

He said the decision to close the auditorium and pool was made in the full knowledge that the Government Office could decide to call in the application.

"Having decided to do this, employment law demands that 12 weeks' notice of closure is given to employees.

"The executive, quite rightly, cannot influence planning decisions, but nevertheless has to make decisions with the best knowledge that is available at the time."

He claimed Coun D'Agorne had had plenty of time to raise such issues before apparently "jumping on the bandwagon".

Updated: 10:39 Monday, March 15, 2004