The York Central Partnership has submitted a planning application for the first phase of infrastructure works to unlock York Central

The plans include:

• new access road for the site
• bridge over the East Coast mainline
• tree planting and landscaping

The York Central Partnership has submitted a planning application for the first phase of infrastructure works to unlock the York Central site and allow development to start, following extensive consultation held in February and March. The Partnership will now work, including through the planning process with City of York Council, to achieve a positive outcome in these exceptional times.

The partnership made up of Network Rail, Homes England, City of York Council and supported by the National Railway Museum is developing proposals to regenerate the 45 hectare site, one of the largest city centre brownfield development sites in the UK. This planning application will create the necessary access to the site, so that it can be unlocked to provide homes, employment opportunities, a new park and other facilities.

The first Reserved Matters application proposals include:

• New access routes throughout the site, including 1.85km (1.1 miles) of segregated cycle and pedestrian pathways
• A new bus lane on Cinder Street and routes for two park and ride services to run through the site
• A new bridge in weathering steel, the same material is used on the new Scarborough Bridge foot and cycleway, across the East Coast Mainline
• A £4m shared pedestrian and cycle bridge added to the Water End bridge
• New streets and access points, including a Leeman Road link road, change to Leeman Road tunnel and Marble Arch
• A new rail siding which will be used by the National Railway Museum
• Mature tree planting along the routes, and new pathways and landscaping through Millennium Green

While the timing of any development is now likely to be impacted by the current lock-down, most concerns are likely to relate to the absence of a new dedicated cycle access in the Leeman Road tunnel area.

The current proposals involve a shared access route using the existing, sub standard, structure. One way working would impede public transport services.

There are similar access concerns for cyclists in the Wilton Rise area.

NB. The applicants promised to include the responses made by residents to their last public consultation, which took place in February, when they submitted this final planning application. They do not appear to have done so. Instead there is a sanitised version which fails to address many of the points made