MORE than 120 people have voiced opposition to controversial plans to install automatic barriers at York Railway Station.

The deadline for objections to the proposed scheme, put forward by the station’s operator, National Express East Coast (NXEC), passed yesterday and planners will now have to take the huge tranche of calls into account.

Earlier this week, The Press revealed how two separate campaigns have been launched in a bid to block the plans, claiming they would block public access to parts of the listed building and could cause passengers to miss their trains.

A formal planning application has now been submitted to City of York Council for the barriers scheme, which chartered architects Potts Parry Ives and Young have said would include measures to ensure commuters were safe and could swiftly reach platforms.

The gates, which would be placed at four different locations, would let through 33 passengers every minute and contain photocells to prevent people “tailgating” behind others.

But a group of passengers have formed the Campaign Against Barriers at York Station (CABYS) to air opposition to the plans, while the North Yorkshire branch of the Campaign for Better Transport is also claiming they should be dropped.

Among the objections received by the council were comments from transport expert Richard Malins – a founder member of the University Of York with 30 years experience of working within British Rail – who wrote: “My objection to this proposal is based on the fact that it is an inappropriate scheme for a building of this nature, which will not enhance the station environment, customer service and security or the train operators’ net revenue.

“The result will be congestion and disruption to passenger flows around the barriers and this will detract from the overall environment and ambience for customers.”

Another objector, C Arundel from Fishergate, York, said: “The barriers and ticket machines will discourage people from visiting and exploring this masterpiece”, while Professor RJK Taylor, from Huntington, claimed: “The installation of gates will totally destroy the atmosphere of this historic listed building and will inconvenience all passengers.”

But NXEC said it also has plenty of backing for its plans, with a spokesman saying: “Gating schemes are welcomed and supported by Passenger Focus, the industry watchdog, the Government and the majority of honest fare-paying passengers.

“We believe gating will help us build a better gateway. We are committed to continuing to engage with passengers and stakeholders on our plans for York Station, including proposals to introduce automatic gates. A full consultation process on these proposals is under way.”

The company also says the scheme will cut faredodging and allow the money saved to be ploughed into improving station facilities.