Good news in the York economic diary for the first quarter of this year outweighed the bad.

Listed in the "positive" news column of the City of York Council's quarterly economic bulletin were:

the Government's decision to relocate CSL facilities from Norwich to York, consolidating research at MAFF's Sand Hutton complex and involving 130 jobs.

DTI backing of £310,000 for the Bioincubator York scheme which offers specialist support for researchers and small companies working in health care, agriculture and biotechnology

German-based INFAI UK setting up a base at the Innovation Centre to market devices that carry out tests for organisms causing peptic ulcers or even stomach cancer

announcement of plans by York Health Services Trust to open a £900,000 kidney unit at the start of next year

a plan for a new £8 million headquarters for York-based rail maintenance firm Jarvis Rail on land next to Hudson House, York,

massive retail investments such as the 260,000sq ft, £90 million Monks Cross retail development due to open in September and which will ultimately generate up to 1,000 full and part-time jobs; another 1,500 full and part-time jobs generated at the Naburn retail park which opens in November; and plans out for public consultation for a £60 million extension to the Coppergate Centre.

Other messages of hope include the opening of a new £1 million Leedhams Vauxhall showroom in Malton Road; new jobs at Brown's department store to cater for Sunday opening; another 20 people being employed for the expanding telesales operation of Piccadilly-based Superbreak Mini Holidays; a £2.3 million grant towards the City Screen cinema project on a derelict site in Coney Street; a plan for a £5 million, 55-bedroom budget hotel by Greenalls Pub and Restaurant Group on land at Queen's Staith and Skeldergate; and creation of possibly 100 jobs at Northminster Business Park, Poppleton, following planning consent for more business space.

Negative news includes:

the loss of 20 jobs with closure of the former Booker Cash-and-Carry on Huntington Road, although some jobs will be created at Clifton.

the Forest Enterprise office in Bootham, employing 37 people, closes in the autumn, replaced by a smaller office staffed by seven.

visitor numbers at the Castle Museum fell by nine per cent compared with the previous year, though Art Gallery visitor numbers improved by 16 per cent.

a Reed Employment Services survey suggests that 68 per cent of the North of England, including York, were reporting skills shortages. Industries worst affected are catering, computing, distribution and accountancy/finance.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.