ONCE he sang about Vienna, but now Eighties pop star Midge Ure is speaking out to help York.

The former Ultravox singer, famed for heading the Live Aid and Live8 effort with Bob Geldof, was chosen to persuade developers to invest in the city.

Speaking at a regional conference yesterday, the singer and campaigner talked about how people could change their environment, to encourage investment in York and other cities.

The Scottish singer was chosen to promote development in the region, including the massive York Central site behind the railway station, at a conference in Harrogate. Midge said his experiences with Band Aid and Live Aid showed "the power people had to make a statement and move things forward".

"When individual people get together behind something that moves them it can make a difference," he said.

"People can get together to transform their own locality as well as drive things forward on a global scale."

More than 1,000 delegates heard him speak at the Renaissance Collection conference, organised by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

Chairman Terry Hodgkinson said the event was "about letting investors see the opportunities on offer in Yorkshire and Humber are as good as anywhere in Europe".

York Central, which covers 70 acres and is two-thirds the size of the city centre, is Europe's largest urban centre brownfield site, and is being promoted as a "once in a millennium" opportunity for businesses.

The Evening Press revealed this week that planning approval for York Central is likely to be given in the summer, prior to a developer being chosen and public consultation on the layout of the multi-million pound project.

A master plan will then be prepared for the teardrop site, with detailed work on the demand for office space, housing needs and a possible cultural quarter.

But Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, City of York Council's Labour spokeswoman for planning and transport, is calling for more consultation before the scheme gets the go-ahead.

She said there should be "full local consultation over the future development of this site, as this is a huge project with significant implications".

Updated: 09:59 Saturday, March 04, 2006