HUNDREDS of people have signed a new petition against plans for an 'eyesore' multi storey car park in York.

The change.org online petition to City of York Council, started by Fishergate resident and Labour party member Kate Ravilious, opposes proposals for a five-storey car park in St George's Field.

It calls for it to be rejected or deferred until after York's Local Transport Plan is published.

The petition had been signed by 349 people by teatime on Tuesday.

The 372-space car park is part of the Castle Gateway regeneration scheme and aims to replace spaces lost at Castle car park when the area at the base of Clifford’s Tower is turned into “world class public space”.

The new multi-storey is expected to cost about £14.2 million, according to a council report from October 2020.

The petition claims the council has not yet demonstrated the need for the replacement parking nor how it fitted in with the city's longer-term transport strategy, nor presented a sound business case for a significant investment of taxpayer's money.

"The new car park will overshadow the nearby ancient Castle Walls and our wonderful riverside walk, add to traffic congestion and air pollution on York’s roads, and have a significant carbon cost." it says.

"Furthermore, it doesn't provide a suitable replacement for the Blue Badge car parking due to be lost when Castle car park closes."

It claims that data suggested York’s existing car parks had spaces to spare and there was no need to pour tonnes of concrete into St George’s Field – costing at least £14.2million from already overstretched council funds.

It says the council executive will consider the business case for the development and this will be the final opportunity remaining to stop it going ahead.

"If enough people support this petition it might just persuade the council to see sense and realise how unpopular building a 5 level MSCP is in 2022.

"York needs to look to a cleaner better future where the things that make York special are respected and a poor development like this is rejected."

Cllr Nigel Ayres, LibDem executive member for finance and performance, said in January that the council had agreed to close Castle Car Park to create a world class public space and a planning application for a replacement car park had been submitted.

However, he said, the detailed business case and final decisions on whether to proceed with this were to be discussed later this spring.

He said the decision would be heading to a scrutiny committee, chaired by Labour, to discuss it in detail prior to any formal decision being taken by the executive.