PLANS for a new coach park on the site of a BMX trail in Winchester has been pushed back after a petition gained tens of thousands of signatures.

Members of Winchester City Council’s cabinet have said a decision will now be made on the site in April, rather than February as first planned.

Councillor Jan Warwick, portfolio holder for transport and the environment, asked for the plans to be postponed so that the council had time to assess the plans and look into alternative sites.

The proposals to clear the woodlands next to the St Catherine’s Park and Ride for a 14-bay coach area have faced strong opposition.

The petition to save Bar End Trails, which is owned by Hampshire County Council, has attracted more than 22,000 names.

Cllr Warwick said: “There has been significant feedback about the BMX trails and we are listening, so what we’re doing is looking at all the options that might be available to us. We are still committed to building a coach park – it will help us stop coaches going through the one-way system and help the council reduce pollution.

“We are going to hit the pause button and consider options to accommodate the coaches elsewhere on land owned by Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council.”

Trail user Rory O’Sullivan, of St Cross Road, said: “It seems they are coming around to the fact that the woodland and the facility are a community asset that many people value. I regret that we were not able to convey that to the city council in our earlier meetings.

“As the overwhelming petition response made clear, pulling down woodland for the sake of improving a town’s air quality was perhaps not the most well-thought out of ideas.”