AN investigation into York’s controversial council headquarters project has blamed conservationists and the public for the collapse of the multi million-pound plan.

Opposition parties have condemned the inquiry into the Hungate scheme, which would have seen City of York Council move from 16 buildings into purpose-built offices. The report clears councillors and officials of all blame.

Labour leader David Scott said: “It is a damning indictment of this Liberal Democrat council and the distain it has for those it disagrees with. The report does all it can to pin the blame everywhere other than where it should lie – with the executive who oversaw the planning for this project.”

The draft final report of the council’s internal Hungate Scrutiny Committee will be presented next Friday.

It concludes that the original budget of £35.6 million was enough to meet the original brief, but says “the public’s expectations and aspirations” resulted in changes, which meant more money had to be spent.

The budget is now £43.8 million.

The committee also said consultation with bodies such as York Civic Trust, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), and English Heritage was “exemplary” but says more early consultation could have been carried out with the public on the design.

The council withdrew its own planning application last July, after an objection by English Heritage.

Officers said the complaint came as a shock and documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show English Heritage was minded to back the scheme a fortnight before objecting.

The committee said best practice was followed but said: “The authoritative views from English Heritage were received too late in the process.”

Coun Scott said English Heritage’s comments alone were not enough to justify the scheme’s withdrawal.

He said: “Much more likely, which of course is overlooked in this report, was that the council knew the project would fall at the planning stage due to the way it had been approached. The public and English Heritage have been conveniently scapegoated, which is disgraceful and to my mind, rather unsavoury.”

Conservative leader Ian Gillies said: “The committee’s report is weak and does not answer the questions I and residents wanted answered. I and residents want to know why it has cost the city a seven-figure sum for a set of drawings.”

The council says about £1.1 million spent so far has been lost.

Coun Gillies said: “There are a lot of people in this project who have convinced themselves they have done nothing wrong.”

Committee chairman Keith Aspden said: “Councillors found that although the project overall was well managed, with a best- practice approach to aspects of consultation, that lessons could be learned.”


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