Announcing York Central

Since 2016 Gustafson Porter + Bowman has been the lead landscape architect for the masterplan and redevelopment of York Central: a 72ha area of land adjacent to York railway station and the National Railway Museum in a UNESCO Creative City. It is one of the largest brownfield sites in northern England and when complete will provide up to 2500 homes and up to 120,000m2 of office, leisure and retail.

Working with Allies and Morrison, ARUP, and WilkinsonEyre, our proposals will create a new part of the city, drawing on the railway heritage of the site and complementing the medieval walled city. York Central will respond to the city’s needs for housing and workspaces while developing an appropriate local townscape that will also feel authentic and integrated with the characteristics of the wider city.

History and context
Much of the York Central site has been inaccessible to the public for many years. The area has a desolate, isolated character which is a legacy of the rail uses and connected activities on the site. It is a poor environment for existing residents. There is a clear sense that the area is underused, poorly connected and lacking the appropriate setting for a world-class visitor attraction. The area was largely countryside until the arrival of the railways in 1839, transforming the site into a major railway interchange.

York quickly gained a reputation as a railway manufacturing hub and the centre of railway administration. The area was home to many rail-related activities, for example iron foundries, signalling workshops, wagon works, stables and a goods depot were all located on site. A number of buildings and structures remain that had former railway and industrial uses and are reminders of York’s renowned railway past. The site is surrounded by railway lines and therefore significant new infrastructure is needed to open it up.

Landscape
Our landscape proposals build on the site’s historic character and geographic position in the city. The emerging masterplan proposes a central park connecting Millennium Green back to a new urban square at the threshold to the city centre.

This sweeping green space reflects the typical landscape character of strays (open land) and green corridors which connect the wider countryside to the heart of the city – in this case linking York Central to the River Ouse corridor and evoking the distinctive pattern of rail lines which shape the site. 

Find out more from www.yorkcentral.commonplace.is
 

Millennium Green
This area is a new opportunity to enhance the character of this natural open space as a wildlife haven and link to The Great Park.

The Great Park
The Great Park park adopts a valley-like form with an emphasis on woodland and wetland features. At the eastern end, the park connects back to The New Square via a boulevard adjacent to the South Yard of the Museum and plays a key role in connecting the site to Millennium Green and the River Ouse Corridor to the west and the city centre to the east. As well as providing excellent facilities for playspace and recreation, the park will also play a key role for the management of water during high rainfall events, and biodiversity spaces to support the ecology in the area.

The Park will shift in form and character along its length. Along the edge of the park, the Museum will operate a steam train ride with a range of railway artefacts and landscape references acting as a reminder of the historic rail uses on the site. Levels will be managed carefully to allow step-free passage across the park for disabled users, pedestrians and cyclists without impact on the operation of the steam line.