THE owner of one of the last remaining newsagents in York says plans to build a new supermarket in Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate could mean the end of her business.

Jess Cawood, a worker of the No1-4 News shop in Stonebow, said fresh plans to build a Co-op store opposite her newsagents could be devastating for her business.

The Press reported on Monday that the ground floor of Whip-Ma-whop-Ma-Gate - which used to be Heron Foods until it closed in June 2016 - could become a Co-op supermarket after the retailer submitted a planning application to City of York Council.

Ms Cawood, whose shop has been in her family for 35 years, said that the ever-increasing presence of small supermarkets is killing the independent stores.

She said: “Greggs opened a store across from us and it caused a local sandwich shop to close.

“I can definitely see the same happening to us.

"The Co-op sells everything that we do. It’s killing the independent store that most people have grown up on.

“There used to be 10 newsagents in the city. If we go I’m not sure how long it will be until they are a thing of the past. We’ve just survived the pandemic and now this might tip us over the edge.

“Local footfall is so low that we have already seen our profits dwindle and this latest development will not help.

“I don’t know how the council can expect a local business to survive when we have to compete with the ever-increasing presence of supermarkets. Do we not have enough in York already?”

She added that three deliveries a day to the Co-op store would cause traffic problems on the already busy street.

A planning application has been submitted to the council, outlining plans for the new store, which say: “The Co-op now seeks to make external alterations to the building to enable them to occupy the ground floor unit within Stonebow House.

It added: “The application seeks approval for external alterations to the site including the installation of a louvre, replacement entrance doors, new security doors, bollards and cycle hoops alongside approval for amendments to the store delivery hours.”

Deliveries to the site - which is on the ground floor of a block of luxury apartments - are restricted to 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm on weekend.

But the Co-op planning application asks for this to be changed so that newspapers can be delivered to the site at 6am every day.

The Press approached the Co-op for a comment.