A FASCINATING blueprint of what York could be like in the future is considered today by the Evening Press.

From a place dominated by fun-seeking older people to fears for the ambitious York Central development, a report looking at a future York has taken the pulse of the city.

A New Vision For York provides a snapshot of how York is, and how it could be. The Evening Press today looks in detail at the report, which will be discussed at a city conference, the York Festival Of Ideas, later this month.

Among its findings are claims that York will become a "playground" for the over-50s, opening new possibilities for those entering the "third age".

"From the revival in motorcycling to the increased take-up of Viagra, there is an air of rebellion against the norms society has imposed on the third-agers," the vision reveals.

Also under consideration in the thought-provoking study are the struggles facing York's housing market and the York Central development.

But the arguments surrounding York's expansion are also placed against the disturbing statistics that one-in-six of the city's dwellers cannot afford to live a basic existence.

The report will be considered, along with a number of other topics, at a series of debates taking place during the Festival Of Ideas at the end of June and July.

Held under the auspices of the Without Walls committee, the consensus from the festival and a city-wide conference in September will form the basis of a draft policy document guiding how York will develop in the future.

- The Evening Press wants to open the debate to its readers. How do you see the future of your city? Phone Steve Carroll on 01904 653051, send him an email or write to him at Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN.

Updated: 10:48 Tuesday, June 03, 2003