McLaren has secured detailed planning consent for the first major phase of the £2 billion York Central regeneration, clearing the way for more than 1,000 homes, a new hotel and a major commercial district alongside York railway station.
City of York Council has approved plans for phase 1C of the 110-acre brownfield development, which is being brought forward by McLaren Regeneration and Arlington Real Estate as part of one of the largest city-centre regeneration projects in the North of England.
The approved phase will deliver 1,014 mixed-tenure homes, with at least 20% designated as affordable housing. Plans also include a 213-bedroom hotel and a new western entrance to York railway station, opening onto a new civic square and improving connections between the development and the wider city.
Construction is expected to begin next year.
The planning milestone follows more than £135 million of Government-funded infrastructure and enabling works undertaken to unlock the complex former railway land. Sisk has been delivering the infrastructure programme, including new roads, pedestrian and cycle connections and public realm improvements behind York station.
Other elements of York Central are already progressing through the planning process. A separate 134,000 sq ft Government Property Agency office hub has been approved, providing workspace for up to 2,600 civil servants, alongside plans for Museum Square.
The scale of the wider masterplan is substantial. Once completed, York Central is expected to provide at least 2,500 new homes and more than one million sq ft of commercial space, supporting an estimated 6,500 jobs.
The project will effectively create a major new mixed-use neighbourhood within walking distance of York city centre, combining residential development, employment space, hospitality, public realm and improved transport infrastructure.
Its regeneration has been discussed for around four decades, but the challenges associated with access, infrastructure and bringing a large area of former railway land back into productive use have historically prevented development from progressing.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner described York Central as an opportunity to transform derelict brownfield land into thousands of new homes, jobs and green spaces, while supporting wider economic growth.
John Gatley, chief executive officer of McLaren Property Group, said the approval represented a major step forward for York following years of work between public and private sector partners.
He added: “The real work starts now as we have the green light to convert our vision to reality.”
With enabling infrastructure already taking shape and detailed consent now secured for more than 1,000 homes, York Central is moving from a long-standing regeneration ambition towards construction, creating a significant future pipeline for contractors, consultants and the wider built environment supply chain.
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