PROPOSALS for a new bus station next to York railway station have been drawn up by a member of York Bus Forum and debated at a meeting.

Alan Robinson came up with the suggestion for a 17-bay hub in an area to the left of the railway station entrance, off Queen Street, where cars are currently parked.

He said bus passengers would be able to gain access to the railway station through arches in the wall which were currently bricked up but could be opened up.

He said there was a precedent for this at Hull Paragon Station.

“Proximity to the railway station is ideal from an integrated transport point of view,” he said. “Access between the railway and bus stations is entirely under roof cover, with no need even to walk via the portico main entrance.”

He claimed that City of York Council proposals to revamp the area in front of the station, which involved relocating and slightly increasing the number of bus stops in Station Road, made inadequate provision for buses.

He said that under his idea, the concourse would take up space on the railway station’s disused former platforms one and two, where existing cycle parking would need to go elsewhere.

He also suggested a new cycle and pedestrian bridge should be built across the railway tracks from Queen Street to the new York Central development behind the station, and floated the idea of opening up a new archway through the Bar Walls to give access from the bridge to the city centre.

The proposals provoked a lively debate at a bus forum meeting at West Offices, with some backing the scheme while others had reservations.

Several said the support of bus operators was vital and raised concerns about the amount of space that would be taken up to accommodate the buses.

Others felt that York was not the final destination for many bus services but simply a stop en route to somewhere else, and operators did not want a station at which to park up but merely a place to stop briefly to allow passengers to climb on and off.

The meeting voted unanimously for the council to look again at its proposals for bus provision in front of the station.