York City chairman John Batchelor today accused council chiefs of stalling over the club's new stadium plans.

Mr Batchelor said he has been waiting for more than a month for City of York Council officers to get back to him about his plans to give the football club a new home.

He said the delay was "wasting time" and added that the whole situation was very "depressing".

Mr Batchelor is negotiating with planning officers on a blueprint to build a new stadium for York City in time for the beginning of the 2005-2006 season.

Last week, he revealed he was putting together a financial package to buy Bootham Crescent in an effort to give the club "control over its destiny".

This outburst is not the first time Mr Batchelor has been angry at what he feels is council inaction.

In July, he claimed he was not being allowed to talk to members about moves to build the new ground on land at Clifton Moor.

Today, he insisted that the club's new stadium dream was on track and that only the council was providing any kind of obstacle. He said he was impatient and "wanted to get on with it".

Mr Batchelor said: "We are still waiting for the council to come back to us. I have given them an open book.

"We want them to tell us what needs to go in the stadium and we can come back with the final footprints.

"We are wasting time, because of the time it takes the council to do anything. We gave them 30 days, we had a meeting and have heard nothing since. It is depressing.

"I want to get on with it. It is a vibrant club. Everyone is up for it. The only people who don't appear to be on board is the council."

But a City of York Council spokesman said today: "We are surprised. We have told Mr Batchelor what we need in terms of a planning application.

"We have briefed him fully on the issues and he is meant to be talking with developers regarding brownfield sites on offer.

"We have worked very hard with Mr Batchelor and will continue to do so. We are currently awaiting a planning application."

Updated: 11:21 Monday, September 02, 2002