Planning application submitted for The Square at York Central

A Reserve Matters planning application has been submitted for the new Square at York Central, following a series of events where members of the public shared their ideas to shape its design  

Plans for The Square at the York Central development were submitted for approval by Homes England and Network Rail Limited on behalf of the York Central Partnership at the end of July 2023. It marks the next significant phase of the development since outline planning permission was granted by City of York Council in 2019. 

Formally referred to as RMA3 (The Square), the application details the proposed layout, scale, appearance and access for creating a new public space with associated infrastructure and landscaping. It also includes suggested alterations to the existing road network, in line with the design guide and outline planning considerations.  

Initially anticipated to be submitted in Spring 2023, the submission was delayed to gather additional feedback from members of the public, partners and wider stakeholders within York. A series of in person and online events were held from November 2022 to June 2023 for people to share their views on emerging plans and help shape the designs.  

Natalie Webster, Senior Project Manager on behalf of Homes England and Network Rail, says, “Key feedback which has informed the design has been around safety for pedestrians and cyclists, accessibility, lighting and planting. Greenery and community public space were important to many people too, as well as linking with wider phases of the development.  

“We’ve listened to what people wanted and worked closely with the wider design and planning team to incorporate as much of this feedback as possible into the latest planning application. There have also been some great ideas that are not suitable for this particular area of the scheme but could work well elsewhere on the site and we will consider these where appropriate.” 

York Central is one of the largest city centre brownfield regeneration sites in England, with £135m public sector funding already secured to build key upfront infrastructure. Infrastructure work began in Summer 2022 to build over two kilometres of new roads plus public footpaths and cycle ways, as well as new utilities and the building of two new bridges over the East Coast mainline.  

It will also provide up to 2,500 homes, at least 20% of which will be affordable, create over 1 million sq. ft. of commercial space for offices, retail and leisure and provide a significant boost for the local economy with potential to create up to 6,000 jobs.  

The plans for The Square have been validated by City of York Council will now be considered by its planning team, with a decision expected by the end of 2023.  

A formal consultation period is ongoing until August 29^th 2023 and the full application can be found at https://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications and searching the reference number: 23/01494/REMM. Comments and feedback can be provided directly to the council via the planning website.   

To submit feedback, ideas and questions regarding wider proposals at York Central or to sign up to the latest updates, please email: yorkcentral@homesengland.gov.uk.