York City chairman John Batchelor today unveiled sensational plans to buy Bootham Crescent.

Mr Batchelor said he was putting together a package to try to obtain ownership of the ground and give the club "control over its destiny".

He said the deal would take Bootham Crescent Holdings Plc (BCH) - which currently owns the ground - "out of the equation" leaving the club to negotiate with future developer Persimmon.

Mr Batchelor said it was important that York City owned its own ground. Although he said he could not go into specific details regarding the financial package, he said he was hopeful of raising the cash.

It is understood Mr Batchelor, and the consortium which took over York City earlier this year, would need to come up with an offer near the £4 million mark to prise the ground out of the hands of BCH.

Mr Batchelor said: "I am looking at other ways of obtaining ownership of the ground. I am putting together a package to take BCH out of the equation. Then it would simply be us working with the developers."

Mr Batchelor said the club was still on target to leave Bootham Crescent for the 2005-2006 season. But the deal to buy the ground would mean the club would negotiate with Persimmon. Mr Batchelor said: "It is always difficult talking with three parties. I feel this would make negotiations much simpler.

"To buy the ground would make the move work better. We negotiated with BCH (during the take-over) because it had to be done that way. It is important that the club owns its own ground."

The moves were welcomed by the York City Supporters Trust. Chairman Richard Snowball said: "To own the ground would certainly give the club the power of control over its own destiny.

"Especially, in terms of when it moves out. We are not surprised that Mr Batchelor wants to take BCH out of the equation. That was the original situation."

Douglas Craig, former City chairman and chairman of BCH, said: "This is entirely up to Mr Batchelor. It is up to the two parties to make any overtures that they wish to make to BCH.

"At the moment, BCH is just a neutral party in proceedings."

Meanwhile, Mr Batchelor insisted there was no confusion over a statement in a planning document lodged with City of York Council this week by Persimmon.

The application said the developers want to establish that the city centre area can be redeveloped for housing "prior to the vacation of the ground at the end of the 2002 - 2003 season".

But a further paragraph refers to relocation to a new stadium "in time for the commencement of the 2005-2006 season".

The council today said it would be asking Persimmon to clarify what the two paragraphs mean.

Mr Batchelor said it meant that from the end of this season the club would no longer reside at Bootham Crescent rent-free.

He said: "No one is kicking anyone out. It's a case where at the end of this season we stop getting it for free and we then start to pay a rent on it. The lease has been decided."

Persimmon technical director John Stroughair said he was unable to comment.

Updated: 14:54 Thursday, August 29, 2002