MARKS and Spencer has frozen plans to open a massive store in Easterhouse.

The chain was expected to move into the Fort shopping centre by the end of this year, creating 300 jobs.

It would have meant an extra 175,000sq ft of retail space being added to the mall, with the £25million clothing, food and furnishings outlet for Marks and Spencer making up about half of that space.

But the Evening Times has learned M&S is delaying its arrival and that, in turn, puts on hold a £10m injection for community projects in Easterhouse.

The cash boost was a condition Glasgow City Council placed on property developer Hercules Unit Trust when the M&S store was granted planning permission.

The first £5m was expected to be released at the start of this year.

But internal council documents seen by the Evening Times show M&S is not going to arrive in Easterhouse within the agreed timescale and the community cash pot has been frozen in the meantime.

In the internal memo, Steve Inch, executive director of the council's development and regeneration services, said: "The land transactions proposed were intended to generate a capital receipt of £10m towards regeneration projects.

"Crucial to these agreements was securing Marks & Spencer as an additional tenant for the Fort.

"Recent developments within M&S have, however, led to this project being put on hold for the time being, although it is still committed to opening a store on the site.

"As a result, there is no prospect of the £10m capital receipt being received in the short term and it will not be possible to progress the projects within the town centre area that were to be financed from the capital receipt."

Easterhouse councillor Grant Thoms said the delay was a blow for the area.

He added: "It's frustrating. The £10m jackpot the council was to receive for town centre regeneration would have been a welcome boost to the area.

"The communities of Garthamlock, Provanhall, Kildermorie and Blairtummock have been especially hit by the increased traffic affecting their lives and the proposed closure of Shandwick Square Shopping Centre. It was time for payback for these areas."

A M&S spokeswoman said: "M&S remains committed to opening a store at Glasgow Fort.

"The decision to slightly delay the development has been made jointly by the developers and M&S due to the current economic climate and has not been driven by M&S."

She declined to put a date on when M&S would open in Easterhouse.