New Marks & Spencer store at Monks Cross to create 200 jobs

The high street giant wants to open a 120,000sq ft store as part of a Monks Cross scheme including a retail development and a new stadium for York City FC and York City Knights.

The overall project on the Vangarde site, next to Huntington Stadium, would lead to about 750 new jobs and hundreds of construction roles being created. Oakgate (Monks Cross) Ltd expects to submit a planning application in the next few weeks.

M&S would retain its Parliament Street store in York city centre and carry out an “extensive refurbishment”, but its two current Monks Cross outlets would close and The Press understands the firm’s Piccadilly store may also shut.

All staff affected would be offered positions at the new store.

Oakgate will next week stage a public exhibition of its plans, which involve demolishing Huntington Stadium and building a new 6,000-seater arena for City and the Knights, plus community facilities such as an Explore library centre and York St John University’s Institute of Community Sport.

The development would release funding for City of York Athletics Club to move to the Sports Village at the University of York, and would also include other retail units, restaurants, open public space and facilities for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to provide outpatient services.

The new M&S store would be twice the size of the Parliament Street one. Clem Constantine, the firm’s property director, said: “We would very much like to improve our offer in York and the surrounding area and we are delighted to have identified this great site.

“This proposal will give our customers increased access to a fantastic range of products. M&S stores always aim to become a key part of the communities we serve, and the new store will create in the region of 200 new jobs.”

Oakgate Group managing director Richard France said: “The idea of a new stadium in York has been around for a long time, and we have an exciting, viable scheme which delivers a new home for both York City and York City Knights.”

He said the new shops would “help enhance what is already a great offer in York”.

He said the city centre was the jewel in York’s crown, but said the new development could help encourage shoppers to stay in York rather than places like Leeds and Sheffield.

He said: “It will be a fantastic boost to the local economy. We have worked very closely with City of York Council officers on the proposed scheme and it’s important everybody has the opportunity to have their say on these plans before an application is submitted. I hope as many people as possible are able to let us know what they think.”

The public exhibition on the plans will be held at the York Community Fitness centre (formerly Courtneys gym), next to Huntington Stadium, between 11am and 7pm next Friday and at the Hilton Hotel in Tower Street between 10am and 3pm the following day.

Consultants from the development team will be available to answer questions.

Scheme’s success ‘essential’

THE new retail development at Monks Cross is essential to making the community stadium scheme happen, council leader James Alexander said.

But he also said he wanted to ensure city centre businesses were protected.

He said: “The priorities for the council are jobs and economic growth.

“This announcement would help deliver this, along with our aspirations for a community stadium as a home for professional sport in York. There will be concerns about the effect on the city centre and my administration is currently looking at ways of improving the offer to shoppers and visitors, so the city centre’s paramount importance is not compromised.

“The reality of the situation is that without a development such as this, there will be no new stadium and more visitors and shoppers will be lost to Leeds and Meadowhall in Sheffield. With this development, people will remain in York and come to York.”