NINE new flats are to be built on the site of a former charity shop in the centre of York.

The properties will be built on the first floor and part of the ground floor of the building, which previously housed the British Heart Foundation’s furniture and electrical store in Piccadilly. The rest of the site has already become a Tesco outlet, and eight of the new flats will be on the first floor.

LaSalle UK Ventures Fund, which is planning a £200 million redevelopment of the neighbouring Castle Piccadilly site, had objected to the scheme, saying any “piecemeal” proposals in the area could affect their project, but City of York Council has now approved the application.