A £15 million regeneration bid for York schools has not accounted for local residents' opinion, the city's Liberal Democrat leader said today.

Steve Galloway said plans to rebuild Hob Moor Junior and Infant Schools had not been run past the people who live in neighbouring streets.

It is part of a bid for cash which would also finance the re-building of St Barnabas' CE Primary in Leeman Road, and St Oswald's at Fulford.

But Janet Looker, City of York Council executive member for education, said the package behind the bid for the private cash had to be put together very quickly.

"We didn't go out to public consultation on any of these schools, but Steve Galloway does not seem interested in the other two," she said.

The proposals, which are in an advanced stage of being considered by City of York Council, are to rebuild the schools through a private finance bid, which means a private company would build the schools and would be paid running costs by the school for 25 years.

Councillor Galloway said: "There has been no consultation with local residents.

"The traffic implications for the narrow residential road of little Green Lane would be dramatic if this proposal gets the go-ahead. Yet residents have not been given any estimates of traffic volumes or proposed road widening schemes which could be necessary to accommodate them."

He said one estimate was that the number of vehicles using the lane would increase by 35 per cent.

The Hob Moor school could share the site with new housing or special needs education. Coun Galloway's call for extra consultation has been welcomed by residents.

Reginald Arrowsmith, who lives in Green Lane, said: "This is great news because I have grave concerns about these plans. The possibility of housing is totally unnecessary and inappropriate, in my opinion, and there are plans to widen the road which would increase speed and the amount of traffic."

But Coun Looker said: "I accept there may be one or two people concerned about traffic access, but basically people are being very supportive. We can look at providing facilities for people driving into school to drop their children off, and bring in measures to deal with other traffic."