A CAMPAIGN against plans for a massive expansion of the Monks Cross shopping centre has been launched.

The Campaign For York claims Monks Cross II will cause immense damage to York’s economy and environment, and urges people to lodge objections with City of York Council’s planning department.

It is staging a public meeting later this month to be chaired by the Dean of York, the Very Rev Keith Jones. It will take place at the Tempest Anderson Hall in the Museum Gardens at 6pm on Monday, November 28.

Speakers will include the director of York Civic Trust, Peter Brown; the author of York: New City Beautiful Professor Alan Simpson; the campaigns director for Friends of the Earth, Simon Bowens; and the managing director of Blacks property consultants, Andrew Hedley.

A leaflet publicising the campaign claims Monks Cross II will cause immense damage to city’s economy and environment.

The campaign, which is understood to be a non party political grouping, says leading planning consultants GVA have warned the development will suck £83 million -£95 million annually out of York and bankrupt many shops on peripheral streets.

“Existing large retailers could abandon York City centre. Marks & Spencer has already said it would close its city centre store in Piccadilly. Who’s next?”

There would also be more car journeys on an already congested Northern Ring Road, and the scheme would run contrary to the council’s Local Development Framework, while the proposed new community stadium at Monks Cross would also deprive fans of the chance to walk to see York City play, says the leaflet.

Richard France, managing Director of Oakgate (Monks Cross) Ltd, said: “We welcome public debates about our exciting proposals for the new Community Stadium and enabling retail development, which will create 1,000 new jobs at Monks Cross, boost York’s economy annually by £12m from day one, and would see a new Marks & Spencer and John Lewis store come to York.

“We hope that this will be a balanced debate which considers evidence from our own robust and detailed retail assessment report undertaken in support of the planning application, in addition to the evidence provided by the GVA representative on the panel.”