Design team unveiled for £2.5bn regeneration

The design team has been revealed for York Central, one of the UK’s largest city centre regeneration schemes.

It includes lead architects Allies and Morrison, which developed the original York Central masterplan.

The international firm’s notable projects include the regeneration of London’s King’s Cross, BBC Media Village and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Allies and Morrison will continue to work with Joint Venture development partners McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate on the overall vision and design guide for the 45-hectare site, as well as a new Innovation Hub.

The site is being brought forward by majority landowners, Homes England and Network Rail in collaboration with key stakeholders, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum.

Grant Associates, an international landscape practice, famous for Gardens by the Bay, the 54 hectares of Bay South in Singapore, which attracts 12 million visitors a year, will lead the landscape design of York Central, including the park, public realm and extensive green space, as well as future plans for the coal drops area of the site.

The design team will also include Sheppard Robson, selected to work on the planned Government Property Agency’s (GPA) new 195,000 sq ft government hub, which could be home to up to 2,600 civil servants.

Cartwright Pickard is one of a group of architects working on the residential elements of the project, alongside the Leeds studio of the national practice Corstorphine & Wright for the Build to Rent and Haworth Tompkins on the affordable homes.

3D Reid has been selected for the hotel and Western Station entrance, while re-form landscape architecture is set to work on Museum Square and public realm within the first phase of delivery.

Tom Gilman, managing director of McLaren Regeneration, said: “Following a comprehensive competitive process that included both local and international firms, we have carefully selected some of the world’s leading architects and design specialists to work with us and bring our ambitious vision for York Central to life.

“Key to our decision making was ensuring they all had a proven track record in delivering and working on large scale regeneration schemes, as well as demonstrable experience, knowledge and understanding of York and the surrounding area.

“Now, we are excited to get to work on our plans, with an outstanding architectural team, our partners and the local community, to deliver what will be a vibrant, highly sustainable place, with expansive green space, and public realm, new homes and a major new employment hub for northern England.”

Jason Syrett, partner of Allies and Morrison, added: “We are happy to be working with McLaren Property, Arlington Real Estate and the rest of the project team in shaping and delivering York Central.

“This is such a remarkable brownfield site embedded in the fabric of York and an integral part of its railway industrial heritage. That distinctiveness or ‘Yorkness’ is integral to our shared vision.”

York Central will deliver 2,500 new homes and create up to one million sq ft of office, retail and hospitality space, along with improvements to York Railway Station and an enhanced National Railway Museum.

It has the potential to generate up to 6,500 jobs and is forecast to add £1.1bn GVA to the city.

The project will include extensive park land, public realm and green space, along with public squares that will connect the development to surrounding neighbourhoods and the adjacent York city centre.