YORK'S Barbican Centre will be put up for sale this week.

The site, which includes two swimming pools and a concert hall and surrounding land now used as a car park, will be advertised nationally.

But City of York Council's leisure chiefs today guaranteed swimming and sport facilities would remain.

Charlie Croft, the acting head of the York Leisure Office, said: "Whoever comes in and makes suggestions for the site will be tied down to continuing to provide public leisure facilities.

"But it is possible that they could be provided by somebody other than the council."

The advert, which will be published on Wednesday, is mainly to gauge interest in the site.

Mr Croft said the council would be open to a number of suggestions, including using surrounding land for residential accommodation and allowing the Barbican building to be taken over by arrangements including leasehold, freehold or management companies.

No price has been put on the site, with interested parties invited to put forward an offer. It is too early to say what, if any, impact there might be on jobs at the centre.

Mr Croft said: "It's a very serious advertisement. The council is determined to interest developers in investing in the site, and it's keeping a very open mind about the kind of things interested parties might bring forward.

"The aim is to achieve investment in the facilities on the site. We are hoping for improvements, and possibly creating enough money to improve other council leisure facilities such as the Yearsley pool as well.

"We are not flogging it for somebody to use for something else, and the council will definitely be in control of what happens there."

The Barbican was at the centre of controversy last year when council chiefs suggested closing the pool after it was revealed huge expense would be needed to keep it in operation.

A campaign to keep it and other York pools open was headed by the Evening Press, and gained massive support in the York area.

Council leader Rod Hills eventually promised it would remain. Ideas to redevelop the site have been aired since to raise capital for renovation, including using car parking space to build a hotel.

Michael Peters, chairman of the Save The Barbican campaign, said today: "We have been told that the council specifies any interest must include keeping the swimming pool and keeping charges for use at a reasonable price.

"As long as there is a swimming pool, it's at a reasonable price and it's for the public, it doesn't really matter who owns it."

And Mick Bradley, the leisure spokesman for York's Liberal Democrats, said: "This is mainly market-testing the site to see if the possibility is there to raise enough money to be able to maintain the Barbican as it is.

"There is no plan to lose any facilities, and we would certainly not support anything that would mean that. This is aiming to improve them, and that we support."

Kate Black, from Bootham, who was using the Barbican gym today with friend Carole Flemons, from The Groves, said: "I would be in favour of keeping the status quo.

"I would like to see it as it is because I know that it works like this. I don't know what it would be like if somebody else took it over.

"At the moment The Barbican runs stuff directed at the local community. We might lose that if it's run more ruthlessly by a profit making company."

A council spokeswoman said: "Once the interest has been measured and the options are before us, we will consult York residents, staff and the unions."

Updated: 11:07 Monday, July 09, 2001