York Central: new images show how project could look

The project is one of the largest city centre brownfield regeneration sites in England, with some parts of the 45-hectare site restricted to rail uses for more than 150 years.

Fresh designs have been released detailing how a Government Hub on the site could look.

The Government Hub from the new square in York Central (Image: Planning Document)

The hub would be 19,332sqm of office and ancillary space within York Central and would bring thousands of jobs to the city, according to planning documents. 

“It would deliver a modern workplace for circa 2,600 full-time employees, brought forward as part of the ‘Government Hubs Programme’,” the document adds.

The Government Hub's main building (Image: Planning Document)

The document says the development presents an “exciting opportunity for the Government to invest in infrastructure, innovation and people through large-scale infrastructure and capital investments in cities other than London”.

“Sustainability is at the heart of the design, promoting modern and flexible ways of working which would make the building adaptable for future generations,” it adds.

The Government Hub from Cinder Street (Image: Planning Document)

The plans for the six-storey building include a retail unit and coffee shop on the ground floor and an outdoor terrace space at the top of the building.

As The Press reported, a series of in-person consultations and webinars were held on the York Central plans.

In addition, a design statement says the proposal documents were presented to the York Central Review Panel who “welcomed the proposal”.

The Government Hub at York Central (Image: Planning Document)

It explains that the review panel suggested a series of amendments which were considered by the developer.

These included “elevations to provide a genuine sense of ‘Yorkness’” which the feedback said would “root the building into its unique context”.

The Government Hub from the station's entrance (Image: Planning Document)

“The building should feel distinctive and offer a unique character which positively contributes to York Central, resonates with local people, and helps establish the former railway yards as a destination,” the statement continues.  

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“Greater reference to the immediate railway character and for the building to have a civic presence to the adjacent square.”

Work has already started on the £100m of new infrastructure, which includes over 2km 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 Main Line.

When complete, York Central will provide up to 2,500 homes, 20 per cent of which will be affordable, over 1 million sq ft of commercial space for offices, retail and leisure, providing a significant boost for the local economy and bringing potential to create 6,000 jobs.

It will also include a new urban park, public spaces and enable a multi-million-pound extension to the National Railway Museum and a new western railway station entrance from the site.