Protesters fighting a Park and Ride plan today vowed to take their battle to the top after city planners recommended approval of the scheme.

Campaigners intend to demonstrate their anger and frustration when the vexed issue of the Northern Gateway scheme comes before the planning and transport meeting of the City of York Council this Thursday.

Anne McIntosh, the Vale of York MP, has condemned the council for handling the matter in what she claims was an "undemocratic and highly unsatisfactory" manner, and today pledged to lobby Environment Secretary John Prescott to intervene.

But the council insisted it had gone to great lengths to consult residents across York and had found broad support.

At Thursday's crunch meeting, campaigners from the Northern Gateway Group, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, two parish councillors and at least one city councillor will all make speeches of protest.

Protesters' spokesman Nick Blitz said if the application went through, they would turn to Mr Prescott.

"As far as I am concerned, this is just the phoney war," he said. "It will be a question of convincing the Government that there should be a public inquiry."

MP Anne McIntosh, whose constituency takes in Rawcliffe, said she had raised with the National Audit Commission the way the application was handled.

"I am calling for a proper consultation of local residents," she said.

The plan to build York's third Park and Ride facility next to the A19 and the outer ring road at Rawcliffe has been opposed every step of the way by local residents, who fear it will act as a magnet for traffic, pollution and noise.

Planners admit there are drawbacks but they believe on balance the benefits of the scheme outweigh the harm.

The city's Chamber of Commerce backs the gateway, too, believing it will greatly improve overall access to the city, its shops and facilities.

But last September, opposition reached such a pitch that the planning process was brought to a halt while a city-wide consultation took place.

Now it is back with the planning committee again, with an officers' recommendation to approve.

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