A HIGH-LEVEL meeting to debate vital future developments for York, including major flat and house building schemes and one of the biggest new retail projects in the North of England, had to be abandoned because of a "computer glitch".

The situation was condemned as "shambolic" by a senior opposition councillor and members of the public, who turned up for the meeting of City of York Council's main planning committee, only to be told that most items on its packed agenda could not be dealt with.

These included proposals for a new Morrison's supermarket as part of a massive redevelopment of the York Corporation Depot site in Foss Islands Road, and a linked plan to create a new road between James Street and Hallfield Road, off Layerthorpe.

Among the other major development proposals councillors were due to discuss were a scheme to demolish an engineering works to the rear of Dixon's Yard, off Walmgate, and replace it with 50 flats; and a plan to build 62 homes at Murton Way, Osbaldwick.

But members of the public who turned up at York's Guildhall for yesterday's meeting were stunned when it was called off, just moments after it had begun.

They were told that a computer failure meant that many people who had a right to address the meeting had not been informed that it was going ahead - so it had to be rescheduled for next Friday.

Council planning chief Roy Templeman said he believed they were left with no alternative but to defer the meeting, adding: "It is an extreme disappointment for people, but this was necessary."

Committee chairman Richard Watson said: "It's very sad that this has had to happen and we apologise to people for the inconvenience." But they did not wish to make decisions without allowing people to participate in the planning process in a proper and fair way

But Labour opposition leader Dave Merrett called the situation "shambolic", a view backed by those members of the public who went to the meeting.

Robert Boocock, owner of the Dixon's Yard engineering works, said: "We waited for five-and-half hours last month and were deferred, and now we have waited a month and we have got this. It is quite distressing."

Stuart Watts, regional finance director of York & County Press, there to speak on the same item, said: "It's a shambles. We were only notified by a phone call to our office on Wednesday afternoon. This is my first planning meeting, but it seems to be chaos."

Malcolm Kettlestring, chairman of Osbaldwick Parish Council, said he had only known about the meeting because he read about it in the Evening Press.

Updated: 10:46 Friday, March 26, 2004