Stonegate old Jack Wills plan Ghost of William Etty reaction

As The Press reported yesterday, City of York Council has received a planning application for the site of 18-20 Stonegate, the former home of Kingdom of Sweets and Jack Wills.

The Ghost of William Etty - a group formed back in the 1990s to help save York stone pavements from being pulled up in city streets - has now spoken out about the plan.

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One of the group's founders, Gordon Campbell-Thomas, said he welcomed plans to paint the exterior a more subtle colour than 'the current gross purple colour it is at the moment'.

While the business was still Kingdom of Sweets they applied for retrospective consent after the event to paint the front purple.

Mr Campbell-Thomas said: "The Ghost of William Etty has campaigned recently to correct breaches of planning regulations with regard Grade 1 and Grade 2 historic buildings.

"Examples include the signage on Grade 1 Our Lady’s Row by the Old York Tearooms and their neighbour The Happy Valley Chinese Restaurant. Both businesses applied retrospectively for planning permission, both were refused by the city council. The Tearooms are currently awaiting an appeal by the Planning Inspectorate. The Chinese restaurant complied with the council ruling and removed the signage."

Flashback to Gordon Campbell-Thomas with his sign protesting outside the Happy Valley Chinese restaurant in Goodramgate (Image: Haydn Lewis)

In Stonegate, while the new tenant has not been revealed, the application also says they are looking to paint the outside of the shop white.

The applicant said that the proposed white paint "is more in keeping with the Georgian character of the building, its adjacent neighbours, and the historic street as a whole".

They added that access to the store will not be affected, and said that the incoming tenant will provide a temporary ramp for ground floor access when required.

It will now go to consultation on Wednesday, September 4, before the council's planning committee decides the future of 18-20 Stonegate.

Jack Wills occupied the location from 2009 to 2020, while Kingdom of Sweets were there from 2021 to 2023.

The Grade II listed building - first built in 1740 - became a retail premises following a renovation in the late 20th century, according to planners.

Planners also told of how the site became York's first photography studio. Courtesy of Samuel Walker, who opened the studio in 1844.

The Ghost of William Etty is so called as York artist William Etty spearheaded a campaign in the 1830s to save the city walls from being pulled down and specifically Bootham Bar. His statue stands in Exhibition Square in front of Art Gallery.