YORK Racecourse is set to clear its first hurdle in bringing Royal Ascot to the Knavesmire in 2005.

City of York Council planners have recommended that York Race Committee's application for a temporary, five-year, extension of the track be approved.

This would allow them to accommodate races over longer distances since several of Royal Ascot's key races are run over two miles, longer than the Knavesmire at present.

The application would involve the creation of a 17-metre wide bend.

Council archaeologists have commissioned a survey of the site as the area has produced evidence of prehistoric, Roman and medieval activity.

The Evening Press recently reported that Barrie Wild, from Dringthorpe Road, who is a regular walker on the Knavesmire, said the scheme would set a "worrying precedent" and pave the way for further development on the public green space. But York Racecourse spokesman James Brennan said the Knavesmire would not look much different to what it did during the summer race meetings.

In a planning report, development control officer Jonathan Carr says: "The works involved to extend the racecourse are not considered to have an adverse impact upon the openness of the Knavesmire, and do not involve the construction of new buildings.

"They are applied for on a temporary basis such that the railings would be removed and the land restored to its previous condition after that time, unless planning permission is approved to extend that period."

A full traffic impact assessment is to be carried out prior to the Ascot event, following local concerns that congestion will be greatly exacerbated.

Mr Wild, a chartered accountant, said consultation over the scheme had been "poor" with public notices displayed in "obscure" positions around the site.

But a spokesman for City of York Council said they sent 463 letters to homes near the Knavesmire but had only received two objections to date.

The matter will go before councillors on Thursday, January 8.

Updated: 10:43 Monday, December 29, 2003