PLANS to create two new anchor stores at Monks Cross Shopping Park have been resubmitted to City of York Council.

The shopping park intends to combine existing shops to create two bigger stores and two smaller stores to attract new retailers.

Developers submitted a planning application in March, but had to withdraw it after further discussions with prospective and existing retailers.

The developers have now resubmitted the application, changing the units they intend to combine to create one of the anchor stores.

They still plan to create a 70,000 sq ft store from the units currently occupied by Laura Ashley, Sports Direct and Marks and Spencer. But a second smaller anchor store will now be created by combining the existing WHSmith with the Arcadia unit, which trades as Topman, Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Evans, rather than by merging the WHSmith and Outfit stores.

The planned conversions also include increasing the floorspace through extending mezzanine floors.

Unit 16, which is currently occupied by Clarks, will also be divided into two separate smaller units as originally proposed.

The developer said there was a risk some retailers may close if the landlord could not modernise their units. The firm said: “This could result in a loss in the order of 190 jobs. The proposal will assist in sustaining the existing employment.”

The change in the second anchor unit will result in the creation of less floorspace than the previous application, and the revised application is expected to create 112 additional jobs, reduced from 120 to 175 jobs estimated under the original proposals.

The second unit will potentially provide an expansion opportunity for Debenhams, which is already based at Monks Cross Shopping Park, the application said, in light of new John Lewis and enlarged Marks and Spencer and Next stores getting planning permission down the road at the new Oakgate development.

Sports Direct and WHSmith will be relocated while Laura Ashley will relocate to the nearby Julia Avenue.

Topman, Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Evans will leave the park.

The developer said the subdivision of the Clarks unit was likely to be the first phase, taking four to five weeks, followed by the anchor stores, which are likely to take 20 weeks each to complete.