THE former Shipton Street School, in York, was only considered as the new home for Arc Light's rehabilitation centre from the start of this year.

The Evening Press has learned that the Arc Light Reprovision Board started to consider alternative places for the controversial development around January, after negotiations over a brownfield city centre site broke down.

The news came as City of York Council clarified its role in the Arc Light debate, after York MP Hugh Bayley claimed members of the authority's executive had held "meetings" over the past 18 months about the scheme.

The council today said that "at no point" had the executive looked at Arc Light's proposals for the Shipton Street site.

The authority said work had been taking place to look at a brownfield site, but that had fallen through. A spokeswoman said: "Effectively from about January this year, the partnership board has been looking at sites across the city to see which would meet the criteria and it has opted for Shipton Street School.

"At no point has the council's executive considered Arc Light's proposals to provide a new centre for the homeless on the Shipton Street School site.

"In February 2004, the council's housing EMAP panel was notified about Government funding for a new Arc Light centre, though no potential sites were discussed at that stage.

"Members of the Arc Light Reprovision Board, which includes an officer from the council and representatives from York Housing Association and Arc Light, has considered several different sites and has commissioned a detailed feasibility study to work up proposals for the Shipton Street site."

In February 2005, the council's resources committee looked at future options for the school site, but there was, at that time, no mention of Arc Light's proposal.

However, Dave Nicholson of the joint committee of residents protesting against Arc Light's plans, said it was "inconceivable" that senior Liberal Democrat councillors could not have been aware of the Reprovision Board's plans.

"If they were not we would call into question the control of council officers," he said. "This all seems to be very bad management from an early stage."

Updated: 10:41 Saturday, September 03, 2005