HUNDREDS of customers have signed a petition against the proposed closure of a newsagent in York city centre.

As recently reported in The Press, Maynews, in Parliament Street, may have to shut because the neighbouring optician Dollond & Aitchison wants more space. The newsagent has been in its current premises for 30 years, but is now facing eviction.

Both businesses have the same landlord, the CoOperative Group, and Maynews has been ordered to leave in November, in order to enable Dollond & Aitchison to expand. The landlord has submitted a planning application to City of York Council, and a spokesman said today the company had a duty to do what was commercially best for its stakeholders.

But Maynews managing director Tony Wright is fighting the proposal, on which he says he was not consulted. He has now submitted a 638-name petition to City of York Council.

Mr Wright said: "We are very pleased with the response we have had. We have had a lot of support, which is good news for us.

What will happen at the planning department, I do not know."

The newsagent has also formally objected to the planning application, which has still to be heard by the council's planning committee.

Mr Wright said: "We would like to feel we have a strong case, but I do not know what is in the mind of York planners."

The Maynews boss said he was not angry with Dollond & Aitchison, but with the Co-Operative Group, who he accused of being "underhand".

He said: "They have been a bit underhand with it because they did not tell us the reason, and did not tell us it was going to happen.

"This is a public amenity which has been there 30 years. People know us well and we feel that the people of York should not lose the outlet, hence the petition."

Co-Operative spokesman Phil Edwards said: "Quite clearly in these circumstances we have got a duty to our stakeholders to ensure that we manage our property in such a way to get an appropriate commercial rate for it, and that's what this exercise quite clearly is about."

Dollond & Aitchison said the expansion would enable it to provide a downstairs eye-testing room with wheelchair access. It declined to comment on the dispute between Maynews and the landlord.