SHOPS in Ripon would lose thousands of pounds in trade if coaches were consigned to an out-of-centre parking area, the city's mayor has warned.

Councillor David Parnaby, who is fighting the plan, has been surveying coach numbers bringing shoppers and visitors into the city on its Thursday market day.

Highway chiefs at Harrogate Borough Council want to use land at Ripon Auction Mart, a mile from the city centre, to park coaches.

Their removal from a central site would then make way for car parking that is to be temporarily displaced by work on a multi-million pound shopping, housing and parking development west of the Market Place.

But Coun Parnaby, chairman of Ripon City Council planning committee, has won backing from fellow councillors to deliver a firm "the coaches must stay" riposte to the borough council.

At present, coaches park near the bus station in Victoria Grove, just a short distance from the Market Place.

After taking to the streets on recent Thursdays, Coun Parnaby has presented results of his survey to fellow city councillors.

He said: "To a man, coach drivers say a change to an out-of-town site would mark the end of coach visitors to the city.

"That would be a disaster."

Coun Parnaby said it was vital that coaches remained at the central coach park, close to the shops.

Work on the project west of Market Place, due to start shortly, is expected to take 18 months to complete.

The borough council says it wants to park cars at the central site currently used by coaches to compensate for 180 spaces temporarily lost during the development work.