FEARS that a parking row could hit a major revamp of the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, have been allayed.

A compromise scheme has been agreed to head off a possible deadlock.

Last month, a senior health trust officer warned that Northallerton Town Council's refusal to allow parking on Bullamoor Fields during building work at the hospital could have serious consequences.

Project manager Ian Roberts said any delay to the £18m scheme caused by the problem could mean some hospital services having to be transferred for a time.

The council had earlier turned down a plea by South Tees NHS Trust to use Bullamoor Memorial Park for parking 124 vehicles displaced by the work. This was later reduced to about 60 vehicles.

To try to resolve the problem, the council offered to arrange talks between interested parties.

At Monday's meeting of the council, Coun David Blades said a positive meeting had taken place and it had been decided to use the tennis court area of the park for up to 50 hospital cars. Another 32 would be put on a grassed area.

This was seen to be the best of three options. One would have increased traffic along Byland Avenue and the junction with Brompton Road and the third would have needed further talks with Hambleton District Council.

So a hard-standing area accessed from Forest Road is to be used, with overall parking for 82 cars.

It will be used Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Outside these times, it will revert to public use.

Access to the park would be controlled by a barrier and separated from the rest of the park by bollards to be managed by the trust's security team.

Access to the hospital would be made available only to trust workers who agreed to use the temporary parking via a footpath and a controlled gate. The trust was looking at identifying staff who could use the scheme. The parking would be needed until summer 2006.

Coun Blades said the trust would draw up plans for submission to the district council.

County and district councillor John Coulson, who was at the meeting, said: "This is the right way forward."

But Coun John Prest said: "It is the 32 extra spaces which concern me. I understood that 50 would be the limit."

Coun Blades said: "Originally, 124 spaces were needed. We wanted to meet the hospital halfway and so the figure has come down to this. The maximum on the court area is 51 and that is why we need the extra spaces elsewhere."

Former mayor Jack Dobson warned: "There could be rutting of the surface, as the court is not geared up for wheel-loads."

It was pointed out that the trust would reinstate grassland at the end of the agreed term.

The Mayor of Northallerton, Coun Tony Hall, told Mr Roberts: "You have our best wishes and we trust there will now be a planning application."

Mr Roberts said: "We will now submit a formal application to Hambleton Council for a change of use of the area. We hope to get this before the May committee meeting, which would keep us on track time-wise."