York brownfield site selected among first Housing Zones

Big talking points that came out of Yesterday’s Government budget were new housing schemes, including the introduction of the Help to Buy ISA, which aims to reward people who save money for the first home, as well as the areas that have been selected to be the first Housing Zones.

York was one of the twenty regions across the country to be selected and after a successful bid by City of York Council last year, the Yorkshire city’s largest brownfield site has now been confirmed as the York Central Housing Zone.

This Housing Zone status, on the 35 hectare site, will provide a quicker process for the development of upto 1,100 homes, as part of an emerging partnership between Network Rail and City of York Council.

The announcement came after an earmarking investment by City of York Council last year, allocating £10million of the Economic Infrastructure Fund (EIF) to help start development on the York Central Site.

Help also came from the allocation of £27m for transport infrastructure in and around the site and Station Gateway from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, and £1.65m for site remediation from the Leeds City Region Local Growth Fund.

House building on the half a billion pond site will become much quicker and simpler through a range of support measures including infrastructure funding and project support provided through the Homes and Communities Agency.

The results will likely deliver new homes and jobs much faster than initially thought, and work may begin on the site later in the year.

Cllr David Levene, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Economic Development, said: “This is a major milestone which will help to ensure works start on the largest brownfield regeneration opportunity in the city this year. We’ve have been working closely with Network Rail to develop this site and this now signals a significant turning point in both the site’s history, as well as the city’s. It builds on the momentum for brownfield site development seen in Hungate and on the Terry’s site both already in development.

“The site will offer the city an opportunity to address the acute, growing shortage of high-quality office space, as well as addressing the severe challenges the city faces in providing homes for York residents.”

The first stages of development on the site was completed last year when the Network Rail’s £36m Workforce Development Centre and Rail Operating Centre opened.