City public space proposals lodged with planners
An application been submitted for the new Square at the York Central regeneration scheme, following a series of events where members of the public shared their ideas to shape its design.
Plans were submitted for approval by Homes England and Network Rail Ltd on behalf of the York Central Partnership.
It marks the next significant phase of the development since outline planning permission was granted by City of York Council in 2019.
Formally referred to as RMA3 (The Square), the application details the proposed layout, scale, appearance and access for creating a new public space with associated infrastructure and landscaping.
It also includes suggested alterations to the existing road network.
A series of in person and online events were held from November 2022 to June 2023 for people to share their views on emerging plans.
Natalie Webster, senior project manager on behalf of Homes England and Network Rail, said: “Key feedback which has informed the design has been around safety for pedestrians and cyclists, accessibility, lighting and planting.
“Greenery and community public space were important to many people too, as well as linking with wider phases of the development.
“We’ve listened to what people wanted and worked with the wider design and planning team to incorporate as much of this feedback as possible into the latest planning application.
“There have also been some great ideas that are not suitable for this particular area of the scheme but could work well elsewhere on the site and we will consider these where appropriate.”
York Central is one of the largest city centre brownfield regeneration sites in England, with £135m worth of public sector funding already secured to build key upfront infrastructure.
Infrastructure work began in summer 2022 to build over two kilometres of new roads plus public footpaths and cycle ways, as well as new utilities and the building of two bridges over the East Coast mainline.
Once complete, the scheme will provide up to 2,500 homes, at least 20% of which will be affordable, create over one million sq ft of commercial space for offices, retail and leisure and provide a boost for the local economy with potential to create up to 6,000 jobs.
The plans for The Square have been validated by City of York Council and will now be considered by its planning team. A decision is expected by the end of 2023.
