THE National Railway Museum (NRM) has suggested a new, more direct pedestrian route through the site of its proposed new Central Hall project.

People will be able to walk down more of Leeman Road before making their way through Central Hall, when the museum is open, under the new plans submitted to City of York Council by NRM.

But this will not affect the controversial stopping-up order, granted by the government last year following an inquiry, which closes a stretch of the road further down to make way for the new hall, which will join together the existing Great Hall and Station Hall.

The closure was granted despite protests from residents and Labour councillors, who said the only direct route into the city centre would be taken away and that other routes were either indirect, or prone to flooding in the case of the river path.

It is anticipated that the council will amend the existing walkways agreement between the council and the museum to confirm the altered route.

Residents and campaigners have been critical of the existing walkways agreement, raising concerns about access when the museum is closed.

York Central action group has asked for an agreement that is “inclusive, accessible and serves the interests of local people”.

Holgate ward councillor Kallum Taylor said the “core issues” remained, despite the changes.

He said: “They are still taking away the only route to the city centre that is direct and always available, they are still dodging scrutiny on how the route through the new building will work for non-tourists, and they don’t know where the cars from their predicted sixty per cent increase in tourists will go if they shut their car park.”

Cllr Taylor also claimed that the new proposals would have changed the outcome of the stopping-up inquiry.

“This is becoming a mess,” he said. “At last year’s public inquiry the NRM only passed the ‘necessity’ test for their stopping-up order as the inspector thought (what would be left of) Leeman Road would become redundant with people forced off it much further up.  

“If this small change that they’ve been forced to adopt – letting people use the highway right up to their new building – was shared at the inquiry then they would have failed that test.”

Judith McNicol, NRM director, said: “We have always been keen to ensure that the proposed pedestrian route through the museum provides a straightforward and sensible access solution for residents and visitors to the museum. 

“The proposed amendments improve the route and allow it to pass more logically and naturally along Leeman Road.”