PLANS to make major changes to the front of York Railway Station, which will include anti-terror measures, have been submitted.

Following public consultation last summer, designers have submitted plans to City of York Council which could see the Queen Street Bridge removed, and traffic layout reorganised.

Under the plans, improvements will be made to the cyclepath in Queen Street and the entrance to the station, a new system for managing rail replacement buses will be created, and "appropriate counter-terrorism measures that are sympathetic to the station setting" will be installed.

Cllr Peter Dew, Executive member for transport and planning, said the station was key to connecting the city to Yorkshire and the rest of the country, and the changes were needed.

Cllr Dew said: "Throughout the station’s lifetime it has seen several major upgrades, and this new masterplan is long overdue.

"This will bring the access up to modern standards and ensure that it is equipped for the expected three-fold increase in passenger numbers over the next 30 years and the introduction of York Central."

Cllr Andrew Waller, Executive member for the environment, said: "The new master plan for the York Station front area will provide a greatly improved space for people using all modes of transport.

"One of the key aims of the plan is to make it substantially easier for both pedestrians and cyclists to move around the area. This has been addressed with the provision of a new, wider, crossing directly outside the station making the journey to and from the city centre much better."

The council said its planning team was working with Network Rail, LNER and Northern Powerhouse on the project, which - if approved - would take place in phases due to different landowner and funding arrangements.

Funding will come from the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal - a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

Once the plans have been validated by the council's planning team, it will be available to view online at york.gov.uk/planning

For more information about the plans, go to york.gov.uk/stationfront