A UNIVERSITY'S plans to double in size have been criticised as selfish and unimaginative by one of its own academics.

Biology lecturer Dr Richard Firn has added his voice to the controversy over plans to expand York University.

He said staff were not properly consulted and that the plans were only outlined to them after they were presented to local councillors. Dr Firn, a lecturer at York for 32 years, is on the university's Environmental Performance Working Group, which looks at how well the university is performing on green issues.

He said the group was presented with the plans when they were completed and said they had not been involved in the consultation process.

He said: "The scheme as it stands is selfish -it's to the advantage of the university rather than the city. I am not arguing the university must not change and expand, but I think there are better ways to do it. The plans as they stand are lazy and unimaginative, and the environmental considerations are poorly thought through."

Residents near the planned £500m Heslington East development, which would double the size of the university's campus, said the plans would create student ghettos, and said there would be problems with noise, traffic and security.

The local authority has approved the scheme, but it is almost certain to be called in by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.