OFFERING quality will keep York ahead of the game, even as the retail sector shrinks by more than a half across the UK during the next ten years.

That was the broad conclusion of 50 of the most influential business brains of York, when they met to help shape their city centre.

Among them were retailers, accountants, bankers and lawyers, police chiefs, bosses of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, the York Tourism Bureau and officials from Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, as well as City of York Council.

They called for:

More top-class events and longer shop opening hours to liven up the slack period between 5pm and 7pm

Extended timetables into the city centre from Park&Ride facilities

Better communication with local people about the safety and security of the city centre.

The planning workshop at the city's National Centre For Early Music was organised by Carolyn Dunn, the newly-appointed chief executive of York City Centre Partnership Ltd, who will draw on their views when she hammers out a business plan for the city centre.

They reached their conclusions in six small groups, which studied the city centre trading environment, safety and security for both businesses and users, transport and access, marketing and promotion of the city and events, the heritage and cultural offerings for tourism, and business development and innovation for the city.

Ringing in their ears were details of a forecast announced earlier by Chris Holling, vice-chairman of the Association of Town Centre Managements, and founder of New Horizon, which guides city centre partnerships in the UK.

He predicted that over the next ten years in the UK, the number of shops would dwindle from 65 per cent of available commercial property to 30 per cent, and professional firms would reduce from nine per cent to just three per cent.

On the other hand, he suggested that food and drink outlets would increase from nine per cent to 25 per cent of available commercial properties, while health and leisure would also rocket from 17 per cent to 25 per cent.

He said York should always be ahead of the game because of all that it had to offer, but warned: "It is not entirely immune from these trends. We need to husband its virtues, keep them as good as possible if, not better, and at the same time create a city in which residents, who, after all, are here all year around, can benefit."

Miss Dunn said: "There was lively debate, but the overall feeling was the city has to encourage quality in every field it undertakes, culturally, environmentally, events and festivals.

"Quality will bring investment in the future."

Reporter GERRAN GRIMSHAW asked people in York what they thought about internet shopping.

RIC GALE, 32, of Upper Poppleton, said: "I generally do my shopping in the high street, but I look on the internet for electrical goods."

DAVID FITZPATRICK, 36, of Yearsley, said: "I never shop online. I always use the high street shops. The internet just doesn't really appeal to me."

FRAN OLLEY, 20, of Heslington, said: "I would be surprised if we lost that many shops. You're always going to have shopaholics."

NIGEL HACKETT, 42, of Clifton, said: "I have done a little shopping on the internet, but I'll probably stick to shops in the future."

Updated: 09:57 Wednesday, February 15, 2006