COUNCIL leader Steve Galloway warned today that plans to build a new swimming pool and refurbish two others may have already been jeopardised by legal delays over York Barbican Centre's redevelopment.

He revealed that he planned to call on the Government to prevent similar hold-ups hitting other projects in future.

Coun Galloway spoke out yesterday, after campaigners lost their High Court bid to block the multi-million pound redevelopment of the Barbican site.

As reported in later editions of the Evening Press, Mr Justice Elias dismissed an application for a judicial review of City of York Council's decision to grant planning permission without ordering an environmental impact assessment. He said the decision on whether or not an assessment was required was "a matter of judgement" for the authority.

But the Save Our Barbican campaign (SOB) said it might lodge an appeal, on the grounds that it had been denied a fair hearing when its lawyers were forced to withdraw from the case last week, because of difficulties over legal aid funding.

Coun Galloway told the Evening Press today: "I am pleased that the matter has now effectively been laid to rest, but I am appalled by the length of time it has taken."

He claimed the delay had cost local residents hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of improved leisure facilities, due to high inflation in the building industry.

He said changes in the housing market could in the end mean that millions of pounds of investment - intended to pay for construction of a replacement pool and refurbishment of the Yearsley and Edmund Wilson pools - had been jeopardised.

He said a meeting would be held with developers Barbican Venture (York) Ltd to discuss the situation, and he expected the full picture to become clear within about a month. "We will have to wait and see whether BV are able to maintain their offer."

He planned to make representations to the Government for changes to be made to the system, so that legal decisions can be taken within weeks rather than months or years of a challenge being mounted.

Andrew Cossins, of Barbican Venture, claimed that delays by a "handful of misguided protesters" had jeopardised the provision of leisure facilities in the city, and disrupted and inconvenienced the residents of York.

"I am relieved personally and also as a resident of York that this matter has been concluded and that common sense and progress have prevailed, and that we can now look forward to commencing this exciting development."

SOB spokesman Ernie Dickinson said: "This is not an exciting development to people who will be facing a five-storey block of flats less than 25 feet from their front door."

He said Coun Galloway should know that people had an "absolute right" to protest against a development which would be to the detriment of their quality of life.

Updated: 09:57 Tuesday, June 14, 2005