COMPROMISE proposals for the temporary car park on The Sands have been rejected by campaigners.

Durham City Council is proposing that half the 320-plus places be located on the common land and the rest on the former Royal Mail sorting office site in Freeman Place.

The Liberal Democrat-controlled council believes the plan is an 'acceptable alternative' to putting all the parking at The Sands while the Walkergate development takes place.

But the residents' action group Save Our Sands says other sites should still be considered.

Freeman Place is owned by Durham County Council, which says it is 'happy' to help find a solution to the parking problem.

The site is in a conservation area and the proposals would need planning permission - to be decided by the city's development control committee. The public inquiry into the common land issues would still have to be heard under the latest proposals.

Council leader Sue Pitts said: "We have been aware that many people were upset that The Sands was to be used for temporary parking and we think we have now found an acceptable alternative.

"There will still be a requirement to put approximately 165 spaces on The Sands but this will mean that the original proposals will be significantly reduced and The Sands can still be used for recreational activities."

But Save Our Sands secretary David Williams said a former Northern Electric depot on the other side of the river and a disused scrapyard should be considered by the council. He said the latest proposal was 'weakening' the council's case for using The Sands and that other sites had not seriously been considered.

"The reasons for digging up The Sands are diminishing. It is ridiculous they are proposing this when there are no agreements over Freeman Place."

Durham County Council's environment and technical services director Chris Tunstall said his authority had been working very closely with the city and had looked at a number of sites.

"The old Royal Mail office site on Freeman Place has potential for temporary car parking. While we can't see any problem in principle, it does lie within a conservation area, so the appropriate consents will have to be sought."

Work on Walkergate is likely to start in April. The development will include a multi-storey car park.