York Central public square plans lodged

Detailed plans have been lodged for a new public square, forming the next significant phase of the development of the York Central scheme.A reserved matters application for The Square at the York Central development has been submitted to City of York Council by Homes England and Network Rail on behalf of the York Central Partnership.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 due to be submitted in the spring of 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, said: “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 the summer of 2022 to build more than 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 per cent of which will be affordable, create more than one 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.A decision on the plans is expected by the end of 2023.