COMEDIAN Roy Hudd has hailed the shelving of plans for a street café in York’s King’s Square, which street performers feared would squeeze them out.

The veteran TV actor and entertainer said: “It’s fantastic news – wonderful,” and he pledged to visit the city again in the near future to watch the performers at work.

Mr Hudd, 76, threw his support behind a campaign against the cafe by performance artists during a recent holiday in the city, contacting The Press to say it was “disgraceful” they faced losing space.

He claimed there were “tables and chairs all over York, so why do you need them there?”

We reported yesterday that Continuum, which runs York’s Chocolate Story, had withdrawn its amended plans for the café outside its building following a backlash, despite planning officers at City of York Council recommending approval.

The business said it would now consider a way forward with all stakeholders on how the square might best be shared to everyone’s benefit, claiming that it never wanted to drive buskers from the square and it believed they added vibrancy to the area.

The decision to withdraw the plans was welcomed by performance artists, and when The Press contacted Mr Hudd to tell him the news, he was delighted, claiming the proposals had been “ridiculous,’ adding: “It’s good news.”

He praised the way the performers entertained the crowds without any specific charge, in a city where many attractions charged visitors. Instead, people were just asked to give what they felt the performance had been worth.

He said street performance was “how it had all started – right back to the Mystery Plays,” and he now planned to pay a return visit to York.