THE fate of the Barbican Centre has finally been sealed.

Senior city councillors agreed last night to sell the site - which is earmarked for a major redevelopment, but without the new community pool that was originally proposed - after a last ditch attempt to halt the deal was defeated.

But protesters vowed to carry on their campaign of opposition.

Members of City of York Council's ruling Lib Dem executive approved a £7.097 million deal with Barbican Venture (York) Limited which includes building a "minimum four-star quality hotel" on the site.

A new element was that any development on the Kent Street Coach Park site should include a new "community building".

The executive also agreed to pursue a partnership with the University of York to provide a pool in the east of the city; to seek a feasibility study into providing modern swimming facilities in west York; and to retain the Yearsley Pool.

Leisure bosses have announced plans to build a new pool at Oaklands School in Acomb, and close the nearby Edmund Wilson Pool.

Earlier the council's strategic policy panel rejected a plea by opposition Labour councillors to postpone decisions on the Barbican site to allow a city-wide consultation on alternative leisure options. They also attacked council leader Steve Galloway for blaming campaigners against the Barbican proposals for a massive reduction in the site's value because of delays to the development.

Coun Viv Kind called the latest proposals "a very poor deal for the citizens of York, particularly on the south and east of the city, and Coun David Horton said: "It's nothing less than a double cross of the swimming fraternity of this city."

Ernie Dickinson, chairman of the Save Our Barbican (SOB) protest group, said it would continue to fight the plans "in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, if necessary", and said: "If the Barbican sale can fund £4 million at Acomb it can fund one at the Barbican site, as this is what you promised to do at the last election."

But Lib Dem leisure chief Coun Keith Orrell said he had personally taken part in consultation on the Barbican, adding a small number of protesters had opposed any form of private development of the Barbican. Coun Quentin Macdonald said when the Lib Dems took power about £10 million was on the table for the site, adding: "It's the actions of SOB. They have deprived the people of this city of £3 million."

Coun Galloway said it was now impossible to carry out the original pool scheme. They could possibly build a pool on the Barbican site, but would have no money left for other pools. "It would be quite a big decision, to go down from three pool s to one community pool," he said.

Updated: 10:01 Friday, February 10, 2006