FAQs

York Central is one of the largest city centre regeneration projects in the UK. Located behind York railway station, near the National Railway Museum and adjacent to the city’s existing retail and business core, this 45-hectare brownfield site is now being transformed into a vibrant and distinctive mixed-use development.

It will feature brand new homes, retail and leisure space, a hotel, office space, as well as a 17-acre public park, extensive public realm, and a brand-new public square.

Key benefits include:

• Around 2,500 brand new homes, at least 20% of which will be affordable
• 1 million sq ft of office, retail and hospitality space
• A 17-acre urban park and extensive public realm
• A new public square fronting the National Railway Museum
• 50% green space within the development
• The site is designated as a UK Government ‘Housing Zone’
• Enterprise Zone status for commercial occupiers

With £135m Government funding secured for vital infrastructure, works have begun on preparing the site for development which will take place in a number of phases. Once complete, which is estimated to be 2035, York Central has the potential to create 6,500 jobs and grow York’s economy by 20%.

York Central is being brought forward through a partnership of Homes England, Network Rail, the City of York Council, and the National Railway Museum. These four partners bring together funding streams to support the building of key infrastructure and land assembly, without which the development of the site would not have been possible.

The York Central partnership is working collaboratively to support the development of York Central and with appointed developers McLaren and Arlington Real Estate, they are collectively responsible for the successful delivery of York Central.

Homes England

Homes England is the government agency responsible for investing in increasing housing supply and releasing public land to the market. Its involvement has allowed the final pieces of land to become owned by the partnership, with future focus on unlocking the residential potential of York Central.

Network Rail

Network Rail is the national rail infrastructure agency and largest single landowner on the York Central site.

City of York Council

City of York Council, as local authority, and a partial landowner, has played a crucial role in facilitating the development of York Central. The Enterprise Zone and Housing Zone designations enabled the council to work with all partners to leverage the public funds necessary to; facilitate the enabling infrastructure, attract future investment, and crucially to unlock the site’s long term strategic development potential and build a great new place for the city and its residents.

National Railway Museum

A leading UK museum and visitor attraction, the National Railway Museum currently welcomes 750,000 visitors annually. A major landowner and anchor occupier, the museum is progressing its own multi-million-pound transformative masterplan of investment and improvements.

Sisk

Building and construction contractor, Sisk, has been appointed as main contractor by Homes England to deliver civil engineering and enabling works for access and infrastructure.

The Developers

Homes England and Network Rail have selected McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate as the preferred developer for their major brownfield scheme, York Central.

With work already well underway on-site, York Central will be delivered in a series of phases over the next few months and years, with the entire project estimated to complete in 2035.

Outline planning for the masterplan was granted in 2019. The delivery of York Central is subject to planning conditions and all of the relevant updates and information regarding consultations, planning applications and consents can be found on our planning page.

More information on the new homes at York Central will be released in the coming months. To stay up to date with this information and other news, please register for our newsletter here.

More information on the new offices at York Central will be released in the coming months. To stay up to date with this information and other news, please register for our newsletter here.

More information on the new offices at York Central will be released in the coming months. To stay up to date with this information and other news, please register for our newsletter here.

Local people will benefit from the creation of around 2,500 much-needed, brand-new homes, at least 20% of which will be affordable. Not only this, York Central will provide a new quarter in which the local community can enjoy a range of new amenities, green spaces, job opportunities and cultural experiences, as well as numerous sustainable enhancements to road, pedestrian, and cycle connections in and out of the development.

From an employment perspective, York Central also has potential to help create around 6,500 jobs, boosting the local economy as well as supporting graduate retention rates by offering more employment opportunities within the city, rather than people needing to relocate to find work.

York Central will provide over 1 million square feet of commercial space, including Grade A offices, retail and leisure space.

This will help local businesses grow within the city as well as attract inward investment from other locations, providing the growth needs of the city for the next 10 years. York Central has also been designated as an Enterprise Zone, meaning commercial occupiers can benefit from a range of incentives to start up or expand. Find out more here.

With its retail and leisure space, 17-acre park and on-site hotel, York Central will be an amazing place to visit and stay. Not only this, the enhancement of the National Railway Museum with its new central hall, public square and Wonderlab: The Bramhall Gallery will ensure it remains one of the top visitor attractions in the country. For more details visit https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/ourmasterplan.

York Central will create a new segregated pedestrian and cycle boulevard providing non-vehicular access through part of the site. There are also new roads being created, which will include segregated cycle and foot paths making journeys easier and safer. These new routes will provide a safe environment for all travellers with modern street lighting, CCTV and additional safety due to being overlooked by residents and visitors.

York Central will provide new roads, along with segregated cycle and foot paths making journeys easier and safer. The new road through the middle of the development will provide access to the new homes and to the car parking at the rear of the station. There will be a new junction at Water End with a dedicated right turn lane to offset the impacts of increased traffic. This new road will provide a safe environment for all travellers with modern street lighting, CCTV and additional safety due to being overlooked by residents and visitors.

Access to the station is being made easier, safer and more accessible for everyone through the levelling of the surrounding land and the provision of new roads and segregated cycle and foot paths. The new road through the middle of the development will also provide new access to the rear of the station.

A brand-new square is being created to provide a vibrant new civic space for both York Central and the city of York, linking the western entrance of the railway station to the front of the National Railway Museum. The front of York Station is also being transformed to create a new and improved gateway to the city, as part of the neighbouring York Station Gateway Project. Find out more on our Neighbours page.

Enterprise Zones are designated areas across England that provide tax breaks and Government support for business growth and investment.  They are great places to do business especially for both new and expanding firms. Businesses that locate in an Enterprise Zone can access a number of benefits:

Up to 100% business rate discount worth up to £275,000 per business over a 5-year period.

OR:

100% enhanced capital allowances (tax relief) to businesses making large investments in plant and machinery on 8 Zones in Assisted Areas.

AND:

Simplified local authority planning, for example, through Local Development Orders that grant automatic planning permission for certain development (such as new industrial buildings or changing how existing buildings are used) within specified areas.

You can find out more about Enterprise Zones here: https://enterprisezones.communities.gov.uk/about-enterprise-zones

York Central will have a range of active and sustainable travel options as the area gets developed. Buses will run in the area with stops along the new roads in the development with the main stops at the rear of the station. However, York Central was deemed as an unsuitable site for a bus station because any bus between there and the city centre would have to go through Leeman Underpass, which cannot accommodate the double decker buses used on many of York’s routes.

 

Contact the York Central team any time with questions about the development at yorkcentral@homesengland.gov.uk.

To contact contractors John Sisk and Sons about information relating to construction work at York Central, please email YorkCentral@sisk.co.uk.