YORK'S football ground owners will need to meet strict planning regulations if they wanted to get consent for it to be used for anything other than football.

Bootham Crescent Holdings (BCH) has put the ground up for sale - and if it is not bought to be used for the football club it would have to apply for permission for a change of use.

It appears increasingly likely that City will have to leave Bootham Crescent after seven decades, unless £4.5 million can be raised.

Coun Dave Merrett, chairman of the City of York Council's planning committee, said that the regulations contained within the council's draft Local Plan spelled out clearly what ground owners Bootham Crescent Holdings (BCH) would have to demonstrate to get a change of use.

The most relevant section says: "Planning permission will only be granted for the redevelopment or change of use of community facilities where... it can be demonstrated that the existing land or buildings are surplus to, or no longer capable of meeting, the existing or future needs of the local community or it can be demonstrated that acceptable alternative sites can be provided."

Coun Merrett said one of the main objectives in the plan was to protect and enhance existing community facilities.

He said: "Councillors would like to keep the football club in existence, but that is going to depend on a lot of other people and potential new owners. As far as planning issues are concerned, we will have to operate in the framework of the Local Plan and national planning policies.

"This is a valuable community and leisure facility and we do have relevant Local Plan policies to protect those facilities."

Highways chiefs are also investigating the traffic implications of York City's possible move to Huntington Stadium.

Peter Evely, head of highway regulation, denied speculation that the access road to Huntington Stadium was inadequate to accommodate City supporters and their vehicles. He said: "We can't give definite answers until a full review has been carried out.

"In the long term I can't see access being a concern, but in the short term we may need to come to some sort of arrangement."

Ryedale MP and City president John Greenway welcomed the review, adding: "Management of traffic to and from the stadium is a key issue."

Updated: 11:03 Saturday, January 12, 2002