A NEW group of York residents has taken up the battle with health chiefs over plans to create temporary staff car parking at Bootham Park Hospital.

The initial plans by York Health Services NHS Trust to create a 158-space car park on disused tennis courts on the hospital site generated a storm of protest, with dozens of angry residents campaigning against the scheme.

They said more traffic would be generated in Bootham and that the car park would destroy the look of the Grade II Listed hospital building.

The plans were deferred at a City of York planning meeting last month - the same meeting that saw plans to create a two-storey visitor car park on the site of York Hospital, Wigginton Road, approved by councillors.

However the expansion at York Hospital cannot go ahead until suitable temporary staff car parking is found, so a new staff parking scheme was submitted to planners earlier this month.

This would see the temporary car park located behind the old chapel on the Bootham Park Hospital site, with access via Union Terrace, rather than Bootham.

This was greeted with approval by the original protesting residents.

But residents of Union Terrace have now joined forces to block the scheme, which they say will create the same problems of additional traffic and access problems - but on the other side of the hospital site.

Union Terrace resident David Wilson said: "The local residents are not happy about it at all. This is an extremely busy area, it's a small entrance which is used by emergency service vehicles and there's also a recycling facility that needs to be accessed. The impact will be greater down Union Terrace than it will be down Bootham.

"The council started the parking problem when they halved parking in Union Terrace to allow for coaches. For the hospital to be looking to the council to create extra parking now is just a non-starter."

Mr Wilson said residents were preparing to write letters of objection and join forces in protest.

Jonathan Carr, development control officer with City of York Council, confirmed that a new scheme had been submitted to the council and was currently being processed.

Updated: 11:02 Wednesday, September 17, 2003