money from the sale of York's Barbican site will be used to fund improvements to local facilities - instead of paying for a new community centre.

Existing community organisations, such as the Melbourne Centre, Funfishers and Space 109, will be able to apply to City of York Council for grants from a £200,000 fund provided by the Barbican site developers.

The council originally wanted a new centre to be built on the Kent Street Coach Park site, after abandoning plans to build a swimming pool there to replace the closed-down Barbican pool.

It said the small centre, measuring about 1,300 square feet, could accommodate a couple of activity rooms, toilets, kitchenette and store, with a covered play area for small children.

But it said a community group would have to be found which was prepared to manage it, and to make it available for a wide range of community groups and uses.

The council recently consulted local residents and community groups in the Fishergate and Guildhall wards, asking whether people wanted the new centre or would prefer the money to be made available to existing facilities.

Leisure boss Charlie Croft told councillors that of 70 forms returned to the council, 27 favoured the new centre. But 43 wanted money for investment in local facilities, with support from ward meetings as well, and the council's ruling executive agreed to go ahead with this option. Mr Croft said that a wide variety of ideas as to how the money might be spent had been suggested during the consultation.

The news came as Labour councillors renewed their criticism of the Liberal Democrat administration's future leisure strategy, which includes plans to build a new pool in eastern York in partnership with the University of York.

Labour called for a proper scrutiny and public consultation, claiming there was no evidence that the strategy could be delivered or that it was supported by residents.

Labour's leisure spokesman, Coun Dave Evans, claimed that the new university pool plan was being presented as if it was a certainty, but in reality there were still a huge number of uncertainties over the proposed site and how the council and university would find the money required.

But the executive member for leisure, Coun Keith Orrell, hit back at Labour, criticising the state of facilities which the Lib Dems had inherited from its former administration. He said the council's plans now meant it could move forward with the modernisation of leisure facilities.

Updated: 09:44 Thursday, May 04, 2006