THE amount of public money spent on York’s delayed community stadium project has broken through the £1 million mark – two and a half years before it is expected to be ready.

Official figures show the scheme to build a new ground for York City FC and York City Knights has seen £410,454 spent on consultants, £261,356 on legal fees and £332,201 on salaries since 2008/09.

Developers building a £90 million Monks Cross shopping complex have paid £13.75 million towards the neighbouring stadium’s costs.

However, the ground is now unlikely to be completed until the start of 2016. City of York Council said the latest hold-up was due to protected great crested newts being found on the retail scheme’s site.

The project costs – obtained from council officials by Conservative leader Coun Ian Gillies – total £1.03 million over five years to the end of 2012/13, under successive Liberal Democrat and Labour administrations. Expenditure in the last financial year – during which the retail complex was approved – was £347,245, £128,000 more than in 2011/12.

“This is disgraceful in times of austerity – we have no design, no builder, no operator, and this is money with nothing to show,” said Coun Gillies.

“The monies [from the retail scheme’s developers The Oakgate Group] are in the council’s bank account, we have had more than a year since planning permission [for the new stores] was granted, but not a spade has entered the ground on the stadium site and there is no prospect of that happening soon. The whole project is in disarray and the best the council can come up with is blaming it on newts.”

Coun Gillies said the council’s desire for the same firm to design, build and operate the stadium and run other leisure facilities had added to costs and complications.

He claimed the project’s business plan could not work without a “massive” public subsidy.

Coun Sonja Crisp, cabinet member for leisure, said the Conservatives had never supported the stadium.

She said: “Coun Gillies appears to think this project can be delivered on a shoestring, complaining about the cost in an attempt to justify his opposition when in fact he is opposed in principle – he should just accept it is happening and the Conservatives are powerless to stop it.”

Darren Richardson, director of city and environmental services, said the project had secured £17 million of private investment and the authority had tried to “minimise cost wherever possible”. He said: “A development of this size and complexity needs an appropriate project team and external professional advice, particularly as it is subject to EU procurement rules and processes.

“This is to ensure we secure the best commercial arrangements for occupation, optimum design and ongoing running costs. The whole process is subject to an ongoing audit as an intrinsic part of the process.”