FAQs
Welcome to the York Central FAQs: your go-to resource for questions about this landmark regeneration project in York.
THE YORK CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT
York Central is one of the largest regeneration projects in England. Located next to York railway station, near the National Railway Museum and adjacent to the city’s existing retail and business core, this extensive 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 extensive parkland and public realm and two brand-new civic squares.
Currently, York Central has outline planning consent for:
• 2,500 homes with at least 20% affordable
• 1 million sq ft of office, retail, and hospitality space
• 2 brand new civic squares, including a new public square fronting the National Railway Museum
• Extensive park land and public realm
With £135m Government funding secured for vital infrastructure, works are ongoing, 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 up to 6,500+ jobs and help grow York’s economy by 20%.
York Central is being brought forward through a joint venture partnership with McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate, working collaboratively with the wider York Central Partnership comprising Homes England, Network Rail, the City of York Council, and the National Railway Museum. Together, they are collectively responsible for the successful delivery of York Central.
The partners have worked together to secure 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 Developers
Majority landowners, Homes England and Network Rail, selected McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate as the strategic developer for this major brownfield scheme in December 2023.
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, was appointed as main contractor by Homes England to deliver civil engineering and enabling works for access and infrastructure.
Work at York Central started on site in late 2022 and will be delivered in a series of phases over several years. The entire project estimated to complete in around 2035.
Outline planning consent for the York Central masterplan was granted in 2019. Reserved matters planning for both Museum Square and the Government Hub were subsequently granted in 2024. All of the historic information relating to these consents can be found on the planning page of the York Central Partnership website.
Now we, as the strategic development partners of York Central, are preparing our reserved matters planning application for phase 1C of the development, more details of which can be viewed on our planning consultation page.
More information on the new homes at York Central will be released in due course. To stay up to date with this information and other news, sign up to the York Central mailing list here.
More information on the new offices at York Central will be released in due course. To stay up to date with this information and other news, sign up to the York Central mailing list here.
More information on the new offices at York Central will be released in due course. To stay up to date with this information and other news, sign up to the York Central mailing list here.
BENEFITS OF YORK CENTRAL
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 up to 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.
Accessibility is something we take very seriously, forming a fundamental part of our vision for the successful delivery of York Central. Core to this is, not only extensive engagement with the local community, but the appointment of an accessibility consultant to ensure accessibility sits at the heart of our design for the wider phase 1 and beyond. This includes not only the building themselves but the wider infrastructure including the new station entrance, parkland and public realm.
York Central will provide over 1 million square feet of commercial space, including Grade A offices, retail and hospitality 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 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.
Whilst York Central will provide new road infrastructure, it is our ambition to create a car-light place that is served by sustainable transport links, including segregated cycle and footpaths to make 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 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 the Neighbours page of the York Central Partnership website.
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.
With its retail and leisure space, extensive park land 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 Bramall Gallery will ensure it remains one of the top visitor attractions in the country. For more details visit https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/ourmasterplan.
CONTACT
Contact the York Central development team any time with questions about the development at contact@yorkcentral.uk or visit our contact page.