YELLOW lines banning evening parking in nine York city centre streets finally look set to be scrapped.

Councillors are being urged to press ahead next week with evening metered parking, despite two objections from local businesses and residents.

The decision would be a final victory for the Evening Press Stop the Highway Robbery campaign, which called for unnecessary yellow lines to be scrapped as well as evening parking charges to be cut.

Restaurants and other evening businesses in streets such as Fossgate and Walmgate have complained about loss of business since the lines were painted last year, forcing customers to park some distance away in off-street car parks.

City of York Council's executive agreed earlier this year to replace the parking bans with metered parking bays, in Duncombe Place, Goodramgate, Walmgate, Fossgate, Lendal, Piccadilly, St Denys' Road, Piccadilly and Stonebow.

But the proposal then had to be advertised through the publication of Traffic Orders before it could be implemented.

A report to next Tuesday's executive meeting by head of network management Peter Evely says that only two objections were received. One, from Grays Solicitors in Duncombe Place, said staff did not experience any difficulty parking in the street at the moment, and making a charge would discourage motorists from using the city centre.

The other, from a resident in the Fossgate/Walmgate area, said parking spaces should be made available for residents' parking to accommodate the increasing number of people living inside the City Walls.

But Mr Evely says Grays has not understood the proposal, as evening parking is not currently allowed at all, apart from on Sundays - although illegal parking might give the illusion that free parking is permitted.

He says the objecting resident is in reality making a special plea for residents to be able to park free of charge during the evening and during the day.

He recommends councillors go ahead with the changes, although he warns that the introduction of Pay & Display will still be dependent on the closure of the Barbican and Kent Street car parks.

Norma Hall, who with her husband, Stuart, runs two restaurants in Fossgate, Tricksters and Masons, said the meters would be a welcome improvement, but she feared the damage had already been done.

"I think it's too little, too late," she said. "They have dragged their feet."

Updated: 10:42 Thursday, July 21, 2005