Construction of a six-storey civil service hub in York has been given the green light.
The City of York Council Planning Committee granted planning permission to the Government Property Agency, Homes England and Network Rail at a meeting yesterday.
Described in planning documents as “a modern workplace for circa 2,600 full-time employees”, the building is expected to be completed in 2027-28. Some Cabinet Office officials are expected to be among those based at the hub.
The 195,000-sq-ft hub will include a ground-floor retail unit and coffee shop and an outdoor terrace space at the top of the building as well as office space.
The 1 Cinder Street office is the first step in a wider plan to develop York Central, one of the largest city-centre brownfield regeneration sites in England.
The 45-acre site, which is close to York city centre, is expected to have up to 2,500 homes and create up to 1 million sq ft of commercial space for offices, retail and leisure. Plans for the development also include improvements to York Railway Station and an expanded and enhanced National Railway Museum.
The scheme is being brought forward by a partnership between Homes England, Network Rail, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum. It will be developed by private sector partners McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate.
The York civil service hub – plans for were first mooted in 2020 – will feature solar panels, air source heat pumps and a green roof, as well as 230 cycle spaces and a planted pedestrian area.
Planning documents said sustainability was “at the heart of the design” for the hub, “promoting modern and flexible ways of working which make the building adaptable for future generations”.
It has also been designed to “provide a genuine sense of ‘Yorkness’, as this would root the building into its unique context”.
GPA chief executive Mark Bourgeois said the planning permission marks "another milestone for us at the Government Property Agency to deliver smart, modern, sustainable and digitally connected workplaces that focus on improving productivity and wellbeing".
"The new hub will help to accelerate the York Central development, stimulate economic growth and investment in the north of England as well as supporting the transformation of the civil service," he said.
Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail, said: "Creating high quality workspace is fundamental to the future success of York Central. Having attracted the GPA, it is great to have reached this important planning milestone ahead of seeing a new workforce bring this regeneration scheme to life."