WHAT IS MONK'S CROSS 2?
A proposal for a new out-of-town shopping mall, almost doubling the retail floor space of Monk's Cross, together with an additional significant extension of the existing Monk's Cross Shopping Park.
The two planning applications have been lodged by Oakgate and the pension fund USS, who own 25% of the existing shopping centre.
Oakgate's proposal to build more than 320,000 sq ft of new retail space would provide huge new stores for M&S, John Lewis and another major retailer with preferential car parking over the city centre.
USS has also submitted an application to expand the existing shopping centre at Monk's Cross by another 140,000 sq ft and remove restrictions on the minimum size of its existing units. This in itself will allow a further department store to position itself at Monk's Cross.
The combination of these two proposals totals nearly half a million square feet of new and extra retail space, in addition to what is already there bringing the total to 94% of the size of Meadowhall near Sheffield. A city 3 times the size of York.
If the existing retail warehouses are included, the whole will be on a par with a major regional shopping centre.
According to GVA, the Council's former retail advisors, the Oakgate development on its own will take between 15% and 20% of trade away from the city centre permanently.
This would mean a devastating impact of around £95 million a year on city centre businesses even without the effect of the USS expansion. We therefore believe, Monk's Cross 2 would bankrupt many shops and force hundreds of people out of work.
