CAMPAIGNERS battling to save a York coach and car park have hatched their own plan to buy the site.

City of York Council has postponed a decision on the sale of the Union Terrace car park to York St John University following intense public opposition to the deal, as revealed by The Press yesterday.

The Save Union Terrace Car Park group now says it is holding talks with financial institutions about borrowing money to purchase the site.

It would keep it as a car and coach park under the ownership of a “community interest company”, and lease it out or run it themselves. Proceeds from rent or income from the site would repay the loan.

The council’s Labour cabinet was set to agree next week to sell the site to York St John for a campus extension, saying the deal would create new jobs and inject £2 million into a Reinvigorating York scheme to revitalise the city centre. The council also plans to introduce a pay-on-exit system in other car parks.

But Labour postponed its decision, saying a new report on the issue had emerged.

Local businesses have claimed the loss of Union Terrace would wreck their trade, and the Dean of York, the Very Rev Keith Jones, was among those who raised concerns about the move.

Campaigner Trevor Fenwick, who runs Bubbles and Squeak toy shop in Gillygate, said: “Our proposition to buy the car park is feasible and we are looking at financial institutions with a view to raising the necessary capital.

“We believe it would allow more flexible charging and any profit, once the loan was repaid, would be put back into the community.”

Coun Andy D’Agorne, leader of the council’s Green group, said opposition parties should unite to “call in” the matter for cross-party scrutiny.

He said: “There are questions to be answered about whether this is a good return from the sale of council assets, quite apart from whether it is the right thing to do in light of the anticipated impact on traders.

“There should be a full, open discussion about how much, if any, of the site should be sold off and what alternative coach parking would be made before there is any agreement to sell the land.”

A York St John University spokeswoman said the university needed to “develop further to fulfil its potential”, adding: “This expansion will bring many benefits to York. We do understand the needs of the business community and have expressed our total willingness to work with the council to help them address some of the concerns which have been raised.”