Tourists Claire and Warren Malpas on the walls near Walmgate Bar today Picture : Garry Atkinson

York's ancient city walls could be in for a £5 million revamp in the year 2000 under ambitious proposals to bid for Heritage Lottery Fund cash.

Public art sculptures, access for the disabled and information panels on the Grade I listed walls are all ideas to be considered if councillors give the go-ahead for a £50,000 feasibility study.

If the study wins council backing at a meeting on Wednesday, the winning ideas it identifies will go forward for the massive bid, which could also cover the cost of repairs and renovations for the next 20 years.

A million people a year walk on York's walls, which were built mainly between the years 1200 and 1400. At the moment the council funds their repairs, with help from English Heritage, but English Heritage has said it may be withdrawing funding.

Council archaeologist John Oxley said: "For a long time the council has been spending money on making the walls stand up and I think there is a feeling that we should be doing a lot more with the walls than this.

"The advent of the Heritage Lottery Fund has opened up exciting new possibilities. The walls of York are one of Europe's top monuments and if the Heritage Lottery Fund don't give money to somewhere like this, what's the point of the fund?"

He said if the study went ahead the bid would be put in early in 1999 and if it was successful, work could start in April 2000.

He said that the study would be looking at access, education and presentation and local people's views about the ideas would be canvassed.

These included putting information panels around the walls, having an introductory point or exhibition centre and producing a set of leaflets.

The existing railings would be examined and different "architectural and engineering" approaches to improving access onto the walls.

At the moment several of the towers are leased out to museums and other businesses and Mr Oxley said the feasibility study would also be looking at other ways of generating income from the walls.

The study will also be looking at presenting the walls as a "must see" attraction with possible public art sculptures on the walls.

"There is already planning consent for art work on the walls opposite the railway station, but we are looking at ideas such as having figures on the walls, maybe looking out from them."

Mr John Shannon, chairman of the York Civic Trust, said he welcomed the idea as long as the integrity of the walls was retained.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.