York to develop a 36 hectare brownfield site

The ambitious plan is the result of a new partnership deal between York Council and Network Rail and aims to address the acute growing shortage of high-quality office space in the historic walled city.

A “brownfield” is an area of land that has been previously used for industrial and commercial purposes and it is on one of these sites that the developments will take place. The plan is to build up to 80,000 square meters of office space, as well as over 480 new homes, in a bid to kill two birds with one stone and address York’s growing housing shortage in the process.

The council have committed £10m to the development, with a further £27m for transport infrastructure coming from West Yorkshire Transport Fund and £1.65m from the Leeds City Region Local Growth Fund.

The agreement furthers on York’s firm drive for developing brownfields rather than building on greenbelt land.

Preparations on the site are to begin in 2015 with construction due to follow in early 2016.

Published on 24/10/2014