Reserved matters consent for York Central phase 1C approval has been granted, clearing the way for the final portion of phase 1 of what is billed as the UK’s largest city-centre regeneration scheme, a £2bn, 45-hectare development on former railway land immediately adjacent to York Station.
Phase 1C brings together architecture by Haworth Tompkins, Cartwright Pickard, Whittham Cox and 3D Reid, with public realm by Grant Associates and a new Museum Square to be delivered by Re-form landscape architecture. The programme adds to a masterplan that already holds outline consent and, when complete, will increase the footprint of York’s historic city centre by 40 per cent.
What York Central phase 1C will deliver
The approved phase includes a 213-bedroom hotel, a 9,210m² innovation hub, 6,430m² of retail and leisure space, and a new western entrance to York Station, alongside extensive new parkland. On housing, the report states 1,014 mixed tenure homes, of which 20 per cent will be designated affordable; McLaren Property puts the residential quantum at 999 mixed tenure homes, again with 20 per cent affordable. The wider 2,500-home masterplan sits across the full 45ha site.
The project is larger in area than the King’s Cross regeneration in London and has already secured more than £135 million of government infrastructure funding. Homes England and Network Rail appointed development partners McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate to deliver the scheme, with backing from City of York Council and the National Railway Museum.
An independent viability study cited by McLaren Property expects York Central to grow York’s economy by 20 per cent through the addition of £1.1bn in gross value added to the city. The development is also expected to create up to 6,500 direct and indirect new jobs, according to McLaren Property.
Economic and planning context for the York Central regeneration
The York Central phase 1C approval follows a series of earlier planning milestones on the same site. In 2024, City of York Council granted reserved matters approval to Sheppard Robson’s 12,500m² Government Property Agency office, a building designed to accommodate up to 2,600 civil servants. That consent sits alongside the broader Allies and Morrison masterplan that frames the entire 45ha area as a new neighbourhood and district for the city.
McLaren Property Group chief executive John Gatley described the decision as ‘a major step forward in securing a prosperous future for the proud and historic city of York. While it’s the culmination of many years’ hard work by a committed public and private sector partnership, the real work starts now as we have the green light to convert our vision to reality.’
Gatley added: ‘Now we look forward to starting work on delivering this brand-new city quarter for the people of York, which will not only provide them with much-needed homes and jobs, but will also attract new investment and interest to the city and wider region, leaving a legacy that we can be proud of.’
Housing secretary Angela Rayner welcomed the consent, saying: ‘York Central is a fantastic opportunity to transform derelict brownfield land into thousands of new homes, jobs and green spaces, giving more people the chance to live and work in this great city. By unlocking one of the biggest regeneration projects in the country, we’re turning years of talk into action to drive growth in every region, raise living standards and build the homes communities desperately need.’
Programme and next steps
Extensive site investigation works are set to begin imminently, with main construction expected to start on site next year. The first buildings are programmed for completion by early 2029, with the entirety of phase 1C estimated to finish during 2030. The scheme’s position on brownfield railway land, its density, and the mix of commercial, civic and residential uses will define how far the development’s embodied and operational carbon performance is ultimately benchmarked against emerging national targets for large urban regeneration projects.
