YORK Station is to undergo a £2 million renovation programme in 2020.

The revamp includes plans to create a first class lounge, two new shops and a new ‘customer zone’.

The York Press also reported earlier this year that M&S Simply Food is planning to open a branch at the station - with part of the current travel centre and an office area to be turned into the food store.

Planning permission was granted in July for the renovation work to go ahead and a spokesman for LNER said a contractor has been appointed and it is aiming to be on site from February.

The proposals will see the ticket office relocated to the site of the ladies toilets, which will be moved to a bigger space near Burger King.

The current ticket office will be turned into two new shops. And the unit housing cash machines, a photo booth and the Filmore and Union cafe will be removed.

Customers protested against initial plans to get rid of a ticket office at the station and in response, ticket desks were added to the design.

But the planning application says that data reflected the fact that only 15 per cent of ticket sales are now completed over a ticket desk.

A planning application submitted by M&S Simply Food to open a store at the site has not yet been approved by City of York Council.

A separate planning application has also been submitted to rebrand the Pumpkin Cafe as a Coffee Room.