COUNCILLORS have condemned a "derisory" sum of money set aside for leisure projects by developers transforming a former working men's club site to housing.

Members of City of York Council hit out at the £9,600 contribution being made by JTM Developments, of Leeds, which is building 24 flats on the site of the former Layerthorpe Working Men's Club.

The company will give the sum, worth £400 for each home, to the authority for nearby leisure facilities when building work starts at the Little Hallfield Road site.

The payment is in lieu of on-site amenity space because the amount provided with the scheme does not meet the normal standards.

Councillors sought assurances from council officers that the money would be "ring-fenced" for use near the development and criticised the size of the contribution.

Councillor Peter Vaughan said the sum was derisory for a development which could be worth up to £3m.

He demanded that council officers explain how the figure had been agreed and what formula was used to calculate contributions in similar cases.

Councillor Cyril Waite said it was important that the cash was used in the area of the development and not "swallow-ed up" in the leisure budget.

Members of the council's north east area planning and transport sub-committee heard that there would be no affordable housing in the development because it fell below the threshold of more than 25 homes per site.