Calls to save part of WH Smith building in Coney Street

The rear of WH Smith in Coney Street, which looks out onto the River Ouse, would be demolished under plans by the Helmsley Group as part of its major development of the riverfront.

Under the plans, the Grade II listed building which faces Coney Street would remain but the rear extension – built in the 1970s – would be knocked down.

The rear of the WH Smith building in Coney Street next to plans by the Helmsley Group showing what is being proposed for the area (Image: Dylan Connell/Supplied)

The Helmsley Group said demolishing the structure will improve the area by making parts of the riverside accessible for the first time.

But campaigners told The Press it should be preserved and incorporated into the developer's masterplan.

Ann Petherick, a member of the Guildhall Planning Panel, called for the building to be saved.

“York has relatively few good modern buildings and I think it is an exceptional building," she said.

The WH Smith extension which is to be demolished under the plans as seen from Ouse Bridge (Image: Dylan Connell)

The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards, agreed with Mrs Petherick, saying the building is an “important part of York’s modern heritage”.

“With ample opportunity for conversion and adaptation to suit new uses, it should be incorporated into the proposed new development scheme,” a spokesperson for the organisation said.

Helmsley Group plans showing how the area could look under its masterplan (Image: Supplied)

They added that York is “blessed with a remarkable two-thousand-year tapestry of historic buildings” but its “heritage from the modern era remains overlooked”.

The extension was designed by Eric GV Hives and Sons and dates from 1978, the spokesperson said, adding that it was described at the time as an “ingenious reconciliation of old and new”.

Regeneration scheme 'must be assessed on its wider pros and cons', says Civic Trust

The York Civic Trust agreed that York’s late 20th century architecture can “often be overlooked” but said demolishing the structure on the Ouse would benefit the city by improving the area.

“We share the Twentieth Century Society's frustration that WH Smith's highly stylised 1970s rear extension wasn't fully assessed in the planning documentation. It is, after all, part of a listed building,” a trust spokesperson told The Press.

Looking up at the WH Smith extension which is to be demolished under the plans (Image: Dylan Connell)

“If the Coney Street proposals related to this building alone, we might well push for it to be adapted and reused on environmental grounds.

“But the sizeable Coney Street regeneration scheme is a major opportunity for the city, and must be assessed on its wider pros and cons.

“The Civic Trust has worked hard with the developer to achieve a revised scheme that we can support as beneficial for the city, which we maintain."

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A Helmsley Group spokesperson told The Press: “We can confirm that the rear of the WH Smith building would need to be demolished as part of the proposed Coney Street Riverside masterplan, to accommodate the major public realm, which will make new areas of the riverfront accessible to the people of York for the first time.

“We have worked closely with stakeholders across York including the Civic Trust to ensure that the masterplan for Coney Street Riverside preserves as many of the city’s architecturally interesting buildings as possible, but also evolves to meet the modern needs of the local community.

“Our plans seek to deliver new buildings with first class architecture that are sympathetic to the area’s rich history, alongside leading public realm, to transform the under-appreciated, underused and unloved Coney Street into a place for everyone to visit, be proud of and enjoy.”