Reporter CHRIS GREENWOOD takes a look at how the University of York may change if some of the ideas mentioned in a consultation exercise come to fruition

When staff were asked to put their heads together and conjure up ideal facilities for a future University of York campus, few people could have foreseen the results.

A dry ski slope, botanical tree garden, ice rink and central staff club are just some of the more colourful proposals detailed in documents leaked to the Evening Press.

The wish list ideas are the result of an extended creative consultation exercise involving more than 60 members of staff, including department heads and small focus groups.

Any building work on the rural land, comparable in size to the York Central site and bordered by Heslington village and Field Lane, remains a long way off, with university sources suggesting a 2006/7 completion date for the first phase of the project.

But the Evening Press understands that the university's planning consultants have been asked to look more closely at many of the suggestions, with a view to including some of them in a development master plan.

Staff members have repeated the desire of senior university figures to create a new campus that extends the parkland environment of the original, with water features, landscaping and green spaces.

More landmark buildings such as Central Hall, the boiler house and the recently-demolished water tower, are seen as being necessary to prevent the new buildings appearing monotonous.

The landscape could be broken by a central water feature such as a lake or canal, with some consultees suggesting a 1,100-metre boating and rowing lake, and use of the natural ridge between Heslington Hill and Kimberlow Hill, near Osbaldwick. Some participants asked for commercial businesses to be invited on to campus in an effort to improve residential and catering provision for students, staff and conference guests - perhaps in the form of a hotel.

Sportsmen and women have been particularly vocal in the consultation process, with proposals made for a swimming pool, sports hall, climbing wall, dance studio, fitness suite, squash courts, ice rink and "projectile hall" for archery, shooting and golf.

Transport remains a problem and many staff point out the difficulties of negotiating an extended campus quickly. Improved cycling facilities as well as a free shuttle bus running a circular route around the site are seen as possible solutions.

Updated: 09:34 Thursday, February 27, 2003