York council planners have been recommended to approve ambitious plans to transform Coney Street by creating a new riverside area.

Thursday, 17 October 2024 12:43

By Dylan Connell

A report by City of York Council states that subject to the Secretary of State not calling in parts of the application relating to listed buildings sited within the scheme,

it should approve the Helmsley Group’s masterplan at a meeting on Thursday, October 24.

Referring to these listed building elements of the application, the report says that the public benefits brought by the new Coney Street riverside would ensure heritage buildings would be put “to a use consistent with their conservation”.

Positive improvements, it adds, would be made to their exteriors, historic floors plans would be preserved and upper floors brought back into meaningful use.

The report states that “there are multiple public benefits to the scheme which cumulatively are substantial; they are economic, social and environmental”.

It adds that after applying national and local planning policy alongside other criteria to Helmsley’s plans, the benefits of the scheme “clearly outweigh” any potential harm and justified the approval of the scheme.

The masterplan will see the creation of a 250,000 sq ft mixed-use retail, leisure, commercial and residential space.

Max Reeves, development director at Helmsley Group, said the group is now “optimistic” that it will get the “green light to move forward with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

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