Place-Making
York is a city which is constantly evolving, where modern infrastructure meets priceless heritage. With significant developments in the city centre and suburbs planned over the next decade, it is our ambition that culture is fully embedded into local investment and city planning developments, with the arts and heritage and cultural wellbeing integral to development processes.
Through York’s Creative Future, the York Culture Strategy 2020-2025, we are working to ensure that:
- Culture will be at the centre of place-based developments
- New cultural leadership will advocate to embed culture into major infrastructure developments
- Redefining meanings of spaces utilising engagement with residents, heritage research and exploring the meaning of place
- Enhanced and new public realm space created and enhanced music facilities
- Enhanced perception of the attractions and opportunities offered by the city
- Establishment of new creative workspaces as part of the cultural fabric of the city
For more information, please read the full strategy here.
Accessing Vacant Space - a guide for creatives
Interested in accessing commercial space, particularly retail space, but not sure where to begin? Check out the guide below for creatives for an overview of the journey into accessing vacant spaces in York.
Activity
The City of York Council is running an engagement piece with the public. This is your chance to get involved in a city-wide discussion, helping the city get to grips with some of the biggest challenges facing us. For more information, please visit: Our Big Conversation – City of York Council
The My City Centre vision for York sets out a plan to help make sure the city centre continues to meet the social, economic and environmental needs of York, and its communities. My City Centre York – City of York Council
Castle Gateway is an ambitious masterplan to regenerate a large area of the city centre, including transforming the space currently used as Castle Car Park into a new high-quality public space. Castle Gateway – City of York Council
My Castle Gateway is a community-led series of events and workshops exploring how the area could be reimagined for varied uses. Details of My Castle Gateway events and blogs are shared regularly.
The redevelopment of York’s historic Guildhall building has transformed the complex of listed buildings into modern business space, public access, conference, and events spaces. The University of York have leased the space and took occupation in May 2022. Guildhall Project – City of York Council
York Central is a large regeneration site located next to the train station and will transform former railway land into a vibrant and distinctive business district, with residential neighbourhoods, cultural spaces and high-quality commercial office space. York Central – City of York Council
York Central Co-owned (YoCo) is a community network committed to imagining and advocating for a plan for York Central with the local community at its core. It started life as My York Central: a festival of public engagement and events in 2019, looking at ways to develop the York Central site as an urban extension to York City Centre. YoCo run regular events for residents, and have produced a bold and visionary community plan for the site. York Central Co-Owned Website
York Design Week is an annual festival, taking place in October, which presents a programme of events, workshops, talks, exhibitions, installations, and projects with the overall aim of utilising co-design and community engagement as methodologies for better design, decision making, and systems change within the city and beyond. Much of the programme is free, or pay what you can. York Design Week
City of York Council are developing a new Local Plan, in line with the National Policy Planning Framework. Find out more about it here: New Local Plan – City of York Council
Full list of major developments