MORE than 6,000 people have signed a petition opposing the controversial redevelopment of York's Barbican Centre.

The petition was due to be handed over this afternoon to City of York Council planners during a site visit.

The planning committee will meet tomorrow to consider proposals to revamp the auditorium, move sports facilities to other sites across the city, build 240 apartments and a hotel, and construct a new community swimming pool on the other side of Kent Street.

Members of the Save Our Barbican (SOB) campaign group, who have collected the signatures, said they remained deeply unhappy about the proposals, particularly the loss of sporting facilities from under one roof.

John Wartho, a member of the 50-plus group, which meets for fitness sessions at the Barbican several times a week, with activities including swimming, badminton, table tennis and bowls, claimed the alternatives offered by the council were simply "not on a par".

He said there was no swimming at the Railway Institute, where there were also serious parking problems, and at All Saints' School, facilities would not be available during term time when they were needed - during the day.

Another 50-plus member, Grace Maiden, said there were only two badminton courts available at All Saints', compared with a total of eight in the Barbican sports hall and auditorium.

The campaigners said the reduction in the quality of recreational provision meant that planners should not approve the scheme.

But Coun Keith Orrell, executive member for leisure, said today that officers had been working hard to meet the requirements of Barbican user groups at sites elsewhere.

He said it was inevitable in such situations that while some users would view the changes as an improvement, others would not.

SOB also has continuing concerns about the environmental impact of the proposed new apartment block on the area around York's historic walls.

It is also concerned that an attempt may be made one day to open a casino on the site, with SOB members unanimously calling for a covenant to be written into the centre's lease preventing such future use.

Spokesman Ernie Dickinson was critical of the terms of the lease, under which future operators Absolute Leisure will pay a one-off payment of £750,000, which he branded a "giveaway". But the council has said that the figure had been taken out of context, ignoring the £2.5 million of improvements which Absolute Leisure must make to the centre.

Updated: 10:47 Wednesday, April 21, 2004