A REVISED York Central planning application looks set to get the go-ahead - after being recommended for approval by council officers.

The controversial scheme would see the development of up to 2,500 homes and 86,600 square metres of office space on a brownfield site behind York railway station.

The proposals from York Central Partnership make up one of the largest - if not the largest - planning application ever considered by City of York Council.

The scheme would also see up to 11,900 square metres of retail and leisure space developed at the site, as well as a hotel with up to 400 bedrooms and the expansion of the National Railway Museum.

Papers just published ahead of a meeting of the council's planning committee later this month recommend that councillors approve the scheme, subject to approval by the secretary of state for communities and local government.

Earlier this year York Central Partnership said it wanted to build an extra 24,000 square metres of office space at York Central as part of its revised planning application.

It also confirmed it had changed its transport modelling for the site in a bid to allay concerns.

The Press reported in November that Highways England had blocked council planners from considering the York Central scheme until its traffic fears had been addressed.

It had placed a ‘notice of non-determination’ on the scheme, saying further work was required to determine the impact on the safety and operation of the strategic road network.

York Central project lead Tamsin Hart-Jones said in January that she hoped the revised plans would enable Highways England to remove its holding direction and allow the council to determine the application.

She said she was confident it was now a “robust, focused and sustainable proposal”.

Earlier this month, however, York campaign groups called for an extension to the York Central planning application feedback period - claiming they were "overwhelmed" by the volume of material to consider.

York Civic Trust, York Central Action and York Cycle Campaign said it wasn't feasible to sift through the thousands of pages making up the planning application and provide informed feedback on the revised plans in the timescale given.

Conservation watchdog York Civic Trust claimed the revised proposals for York Central were "an uninspiring use of the site", which failed to offer the "maximum benefits that it could and should to the wider city".

It claimed the scheme prioritised car use over public transport, adding: "This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a sustainable, exemplar, scheme in the heart of York; this has been sadly missed."

York Cycle campaign argued the planning application was a "missed opportunity to create safe and sustainable transport options and future-proof our wonderful city for future generations".

It is understood much of the cash for the scheme is time-dependent so any delays to the project could scupper funding.

Councillors will consider the recommendation to approve the planning application - submitted by Network Rail and Infrastructure Limited and Homes England - at a meeting at 4pm on Monday, March 25 at West Offices, York.