Plans submitted for £40m extension of York Designer Outlet
A planning application for a £40m investment in additional retail and restaurant space, a new parking area and an improved Park & Ride facility at York Designer Outlet (YDO) has been submitted .
The plans would create around 500 new jobs and 25 new units at YDO. Around 630 additional parking spaces will also be added.
The proposal includes the enhancement of the centre’s Park & Ride service by relocating a new terminus to a dedicated area alongside an improved car park circulation plan. The YDO Park & Ride facility is now the busiest in York.
The application follows two public exhibitions in June; of the feedback received, 95% were either supportive (85%) or balanced (10%) about the proposals.
York Designer Outlet has been open 20 years and welcomes 4.5m visitors each year. The £40m investment is expected to create around 500 retail and construction jobs and £3.4m in additional employment income.
The firm says the 25 new retail and restaurant units will enhance the retail destination, which currently employs 1,700 staff.
Mike Thomas, Centre Manager at York Designer Outlet said: “We are delighted to reach this important milestone in our project to deliver improvements to the facilities at York Designer Outlet.
“Our plans would deliver hundreds of jobs and significantly improve parking at the YDO. It would also secure the future of the YDO Park & Ride which is key to reducing local road congestion and meeting York’s wider sustainability and carbon reduction goals.
“We have engaged closely with the local council and community throughout this process and will continue to do so as plans progress.”
Project planning consultant, Niall Roberts of NTR Planning added: “With over 300 people attending our public exhibitions and 95% of feedback positive or neutral, we have been greatly encouraged by the support that we’ve seen for these plans. The majority of feedback was from local residents who welcomed increased shopping choice and more parking, as well as improvements to the Park & Ride.
“Our retail and traffic impact assessments show these plans will have a minimal impact on city centre retail or the local road network – with the expanded car park bringing major benefits, especially when the YDO is at its busiest. We are confident that our planning application will be positively received by the City of York Council.”
A decision on the planning application is expected later this year.
