1,200 sign up to save city store (From York Press)

1,200 sign up to save city store

8:38am Tuesday 22nd August 2006 in News By Gavin Aitchison, gavin.aitchison@thepress.co.uk

MORE than 1,200 customers have now signed a petition opposing the closure of a popular city centre newsagent.

Staff at Maynews, in Parliament Street, have been overwhelmed by public support, since they started their fight for survival seven weeks ago.

As recently reported in The Press, the shop has been in Parliament Street for 30 years, but faces being evicted by its own landlord to allow the neighbouring optician to expand.

Maynews was ordered in early July to leave its premises by November.

The firm's landlords, the Co-operative Group, has backed Dollond & Aitchison's plans to expand into the Maynews site, and has submitted a planning application to City of York Council.

A Co-operative spokesman said the company had a duty to do what was commercially best for its stakeholders, but Maynews managing director Tony Wright is fighting the proposal, on which he says he was not consulted.

Last month, the firm submitted a 638-name petition to the council, and the firm has now collected as many names again.

Chris Smith, store deputy manager, said: "We are up to about 1,200 names now. We have submitted a second petition now, but we've not yet had anything back from the council."

He said customers had all wanted to sign the petition, especially the locals and regulars.

He said: "A bit of return on it would be nice"

Mr Wright said: "We are highly delighted that we have got that many people expressing concern. We are presenting those to the council and hopefully they will take notice."

He said he was not angry with Dollond & Aitchison, but with the Co-operative Group.

He previously told The Press: "They have been a bit underhand with it because they did not tell us the reason, and did not tell us it was going to happen. This is a public amenity which has been there 30 years. People know us well and we feel that the people of York should not lose the outlet, hence the petition."

Dollond & Aitchison want to expand to enable it to provide a downstairs eye-testing room with wheelchair access. The firm has declined to comment on the dispute.