Cocoa Works flats take shape at iconic Rowntree's factory in York

The £83 million Cocoa Works scheme features 279 homes, with the first phase complete next July and the rest due by the end of next year.

Latimer, the private development arm of the Clarion Housing Group, began work on the 13.2 acre site in Haxby Road six months ago, with Henry Boot the main contractor.

Latimer’s group director of development, Richard Cook, says construction is about 40 per cent complete.

There has been some demolition works, and massive steel columns have been installed along with fireproofing. Now work has started on fitting out the building.

Around 70 per cent of the flats, which sell from £249,950 on the open market, have been sold already.

The Cocoa Works (Image: supplied)

Some 84 of the homes are available on a shared ownership basis, sales of which will launched in February, and will feature a minimum 35 per cent share.

Richard said: “We have a big interest in this as there’s very limited shared ownership available in York.”

“It’s an affordable way for key workers to get on the housing ladder.”

Richard, who worked on the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, says he and Latimer are proud to work on a building with such historic significance to York.

His company’s founder William Sutton, like Joseph Rowntree, was also a philanthropist, who built homes for his workers.

The Cocoa Works (Image: Newsquest)

The former Joseph Rowntree library lives on as a communal space with co-working spaces and private working booths. It will even feature cocoa trees.

But such a mammoth project has faced challenges.

Fortunately, the former factory was not a listed building. Such status meant the building could have been demolished but it also made it easier to convert into flats.

However, the Conservation Area status of the neighbourhood meant the plans had to reflect the area, ensuring the design of the scheme and the materials used had to be top quality.

The Cocoa Works (Image: Newsquest)

Restoring an old factory meant much structural work, such as removing staircases, and using much steel to support the building. A lot of brickwork also needed repairing. Piles to support the building also had to be dug deeper than originally planned as the developers found a “sloppy mud known as hot chocolate”.

Other challenges included a lack of skills facing the building industry, plus the rising costs of materials.

In addition to the flats are 302 homes to be delivered at Cocoa Gardens sited on land behind the factory - 184 houses as well as 118 flats. Originally, some 500 flats were mooted for the site but Latimer saw need for houses in York.

The Cocoa Works (Image: Newsquest)

Richard said: “This will create a new neighbourhood for York. The two schemes go hand-in-hand. We will look back on it proudly in five years time. This is a once in a lifetime project, a socially responsible development.”