A HALF-MILLION pound revamp of a landmark York square is set to include extra seating, ample space for street performers and a possible outdoor café.

City of York Council officers have recommended their preferred design for plans to enhance Kings Square through the Reinvigorate York initiative, which will see it repaved and the central raised area remodelled.

A spokeswoman said almost 200 people had responded to a recent consultation on several options for the square, and now the recommendations would be put to the cabinet next month.

She said that of those responding to the consultation, 55 per cent wanted the raised area to be refurbished and 44 per cent agreed that trees in the square should remain where they are.

“People were marginally in favour of not having a cafe - 49 per cent were against and 42 per cent were for,” she said. “Taking this into consideration, Cabinet will be asked to approve the plans, enabling the council to apply for planning, but that a cafe license should not be implemented until the refurbished square has been in use for a long enough period to be confident that cafe seating can be accommodated.”

She said positive feedback had been received from blind and partially-sighted users and the council was also taking into account the findings of a York Access & Mobility audit.

Sir Ron Cooke, chair of Reinvigorate York, said the quality of York’s inner city public spaces was fundamental to sustaining the city’s present and future prosperity.

“Kings Square is looking run down but becoming increasingly competitive for important activities, so we have to create more room in order to accommodate and enhance its quality and effectiveness,” he said.

Cabinet member Dave Merrett said the square needed quite a radical rethink to make it a world-class space. “We are going to be providing high class surfaces, addressing some of the current problems for less abled members of the community, and ensuring the tatty raised area is rebuilt with higher quality materials and is more accessible and functional for everyone to use,” he said.