A MULTI-MILLION pound bid to create 25 new retail and restaurant units in York has been officially lodged with City of York Council.

The plans have been submitted for York Designer Outlet and also include 630 new parking spaces and an improved Park & Ride.

If approved, the investment - worth more than £40 million - is expected to deliver about 500 retail and construction jobs and £3.4 million in additional employment income.

The application is by the Designer Retail Outlet Centres (DROC) York Limited Partnership - the company name for York Designer Outlet. It says it will improve the city’s retail and tourism offer, while the increased parking will help to cut congestion on the A19 Fulford Road corridor.

More than 300 people attended two public exhibitions in June which showcased the plans, which include a new parking area.

The developers say 85 per cent of the feedback received was supportive.

York Designer Outlet has been part of York’s retail scene for more than 20 years and welcomes 4.5 million visitors each year. It employs 1,700 people, accounting for about one in eight of all retail jobs in the city.

The proposal includes relocating a Park & Ride terminus to an area alongside an improved car park circulation plan. The centre’s Park & Ride facility is the busiest in York.

Centre manager Mike Thomas said: “We are delighted to reach this important milestone. Our plans would deliver hundreds of jobs and significantly improve parking at the YDO. It would also secure the future of the YDO Park & Ride which is key to reducing local road congestion and meeting York’s wider sustainability and carbon reduction goals. We have engaged closely with the council and community and will continue as plans progress.”