DETAILED plans for two new superstores which are to be built alongside a community stadium on the edge of York have been handed in.

The application by Oakgate (Monks Cross) said the Marks & Spencer store which would be a focal point of the £90 million retail development, alongside John Lewis, would now be 100,000 sq ft – 20,000 sq ft less than originally planned.

The occupants of the third retail unit have still yet to be confirmed, but its size would increase from 24,000 to 44,000 sq ft, while new restaurants would also form part of the complex on land next to Jockey Lane, Kathryn Avenue and Martello Way.

Oakgate’s managing director, Richard France, said: “In preparation for starting work on site, we have now submitted a further application for the detailed reserved matters of the retail development area."

He said the application related to matters such as the design and appearance of the new stores, and he hoped the council would make a decision in September. The authority will submit a separate reserved matters application for the stadium and its associated community facilities.

Oakgate also said there has been strong interest from potential occupants of the third retail unit alongside John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, and confirmation of who will take it over will be confirmed "in due course".

The retail scheme will enable the 6,000-seater venue for York City FC and York City Knights to be built alongside the stores in time for the start of the 2014/15 football and rugby league seasons. The council approved the Monks Cross plans in May and the Government ruled the following month that it would not stage a public inquiry into the development.

Work on the shopping complex is due to start in the autumn and Oakgate has said it will create 1,000 new jobs and inject millions of pounds a year into York's economy, although opponents have claimed businesses in the city centre will be forced to close and traffic problems will emerge.

Objectors have until August 31 to lodge a request for a judicial review into the development, which would see the council's planning decision being examined through court proceedings, but The Press understands this is unlikely to happen.