HOPES of 100 jobs being created have been shattered after plans for a multi-million-pound expansion of one of York’s shopping parks were thrown out.

City of York Council’s east area planning committee yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a scheme to build three new units at Monks Cross Shopping Park, which would have paved the way for restaurants, fast food outlets, a café and a new Carphone Warehouse store.

The proposals were turned down because the extension would have led to 54 car-parking spaces being lost, sparking fears of traffic problems, while committee members also raised concerns about the impact the development could have on city-centre businesses.

Council planning officers recommended the scheme for approval, saying the proposed pavilion and piazza for outdoor dining would allow the site to link up with surrounding businesses such as Sainsbury’s, TK Maxx and Argos, while pedestrian safety would also be improved and 1,161 square metres of retail space would be created.

Had the extension been given the go-ahead, it was expected to lead to 100 full and part-time jobs and boost the centre’s turnover by more than £4 million. Committee member Coun Roger Pierce said: “This scheme seems to fly in the face of the assumption that the city centre is the primary retail area for high-quality goods, and centres such as Monks Cross and Clifton Moor are ancillary to this. My understanding is also that it is very difficult to park at Monks Cross on Saturday and Sunday, and I am not sure any loss of car-parking spaces can be met by capacity elsewhere.”

Katherine Sharp, the shopping park’s centre manager, said she would hold further discussions with its own planning officers before deciding what to do next.

Susie Cawood, York head of the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, called the decision “very disappointing” and said the parking problems would not have been insurmountable. She said: “We believe Monks Cross complements shopping in the city centre and enhances the greater York experience, rather than competing with the centre.”