THE first phase of the Access York scheme is designed to create three new Park&Ride sites on the edge of the city.

These would be built near the A59 at Poppleton, at Clifton Moor next to Wigginton Road, and at Askham Bar, where the existing facilities, which are too small for the city’s needs, would be replaced.

Planning permission for all three schemes has already been secured. Together they would initially boast 1,600 more Park&Ride spaces, with the potential for a further 900 at a later date.

The project also includes improvements to bus routes and the roundabout at the junction of the Outer Ring Road and the A59. The existing Park&Ride service is used by 4.3 million passengers every year.

The Department for Transport this week approved 16 major transport projects across the UK, with Access York being put into a “development group” alongside 21 other schemes which will now be analysed further before a decision on which of these receive funding is made.