Proposals unveiled for £150m redevelopment in York

Ambitious £150m proposals to redevelop three buildings in York city centre into a mixed-use development including a 33,000 sq ft Roman visitor attraction have been unveiled.

York-based developers North Star, working with York Archaeological Trust and trust and hotel operators Native, have shared the proposed plans for Rougier Street.

They are seeking to demolish the Northern House, Rougier House and Society Bar and replace it with a new hotel, offices, apartments and the tourist attraction. The combined development will be called The Roman Quarter.

If approved, there will be a new 235,000 sq ft building which will include a 145-bed hotel, 228 apartments, 33,000 sq ft for the Roman attraction, along with 15,500 sq ft for new cafes, retail and restaurants.

A North Star spokesman said: “These proposals will be a major boost to the City of York and replace unattractive buildings with a new iconic development that the whole city can be proud of.

“We are undertaking an extensive public consultation exercise to encourage as many people to get involved as possible to help shape the plans so we can offer maximum benefits to York.

“It will be the final piece in the jigsaw to complete the renaissance of this part of the City Centre and also deliver something globally unique to York.”

Guy Nixon, Founder and CEO of Native, which will operate the new hotel, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to bring our aparthotel and restaurant concept to the people of York and to be doing so alongside the York Archaeological Trust at Roman Quarter.

“Every project Native undertakes is unique. We seek to create spaces that connect with and reflect the very best of the communities in which we operate, whether that’s a converted 19th century cotton warehouse in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a reconstructed 18th century tea warehouse on the Southbank or this opportunity within the city walls of York.”

As part of the same plans, the former Roman road will be reinstated and will connect Tanner Street with Tanner’s Moat.

York Archaeological Trust, which developed the JORVIK Viking Centre following the Coppergate dig in the late 1970s and early 1980s, will conduct a two-year dig of the site, prior to building work starting.

The dig will be one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and is expected to be especially significant given the waterlogged ground conditions which preserved so much organic matter at Coppergate.

With artefacts expected to date from 2,000 years ago, and trial pits revealing the potential for major discoveries, significant Roman finds will be displayed in the basement visitor attraction.

Members of the public will be invited to share in the excitement as items are unearthed.

When completed, the Roman visitor attraction will be double the size of JORVIK Viking Centre. It has been predicted that the attraction will receive around half a million visitors per year, adding £20 million to York’s economy.

David Jennings, CEO York Archaeological Trust, said: “This is a unique opportunity to understand York’s origins and find out more about how the city developed. The location, next to the original Roman crossing of the River Ouse, and the scale of the dig site makes us anticipate very exciting discoveries that link Roman Eboracum with York’s future.

“Items discovered in similar ground conditions in Coppergate helped change the world’s perception of the Vikings and made York world-renowned. The chance to do the same for the Romans makes this one of the most exciting projects in the world.”

Paul Whiting, Head of Visit York added: “This is an exciting project and one that will have significant long-term economic benefits for York.

“Both the archaeological excavations and the attraction itself will expand our understanding of York’s fascinating Roman history and add a new asset to our city’s rich heritage offer.

“What York Archaeological Trust did for the Vikings with the Coppergate excavations it can now do to showcase the impact of the Romans over 2,000 years ago.”

Residents and businesses will have the opportunity to find out more at a public exhibition on the 4 July at Society. A planning application will be submitted in the coming months.