Today, this is where we are
Phil Bixby
We used our most recent Open Meeting in February to take a brief look back and an exciting look forward, finding ourselves on the threshold of big things and feeling the need to remind ourselves (and tell new members) how we got here, and what we’re working on now. So - briefly -
…Five years ago
We had a public vision and big ideas which the masterplan largely failed to engage with.
We ran an event as part of York Design Week and ended that with a clear collective feeling of support for stewarding this vision onto the site.
YoCo was set up and started exploring what a good city was about.
…One year ago
We’d turned the vision into a comprehensive plan, exploring what it took to get the good stuff in the public vision.
We’d engaged with the York Central strategy board – setting out this plan and then specific projects which could lead towards it (a mixed-use housing-led development and use of the Foundry as an economic incubator).
...but repeatedly being told we needed to wait for the master developer to be appointed.
Six months ago
We’d spent much of the summer discussing big ideas – Don’t Extract – Redistribute and The Big Tent Ideas Festival
We were in conversation with both of the final shortlisted master developer bidders.
...but were still repeatedly being told we needed to wait for the master developer to be appointed before actually doing anything.
Where we are now
The master developer has been chosen by Homes England - Arlington Real Estate working with McLaren Homes
We are pulling together clarity about exactly what our housing development would be, via a flurry of recent meetings / workshops / discussions involving Homes England’s Self-Commissioning Unit (which works to promote self-build and custom-build) and City of York Council
We’re already clear this won’t be “Grand Designs” or individual plots but will be Collective Custom Build – people joining together to work with professionals to design a neighbourhood where they will live with some shared values, in a place that works for all.
We have a better idea of scale - a pilot project of around 50 units with a mix of affordability, using cross-subsidy / grant / other forms of investment.
We have a clearer idea of format…
YoCo project manages bringing the scheme and participants together, and enables design and technical decisions, sets up the economic framework
A developer / contractor builds the scheme – complete but including (maybe) lofts or similar units for self-complete.
Long-term ownership and stewardship taken on by a CLT or similar to ensure forever affordability.
There’s growing consensus around the value of local economy and creation of mixed-use development to make a “walkable neighbourhood”, so connecting homes with places which make a broader, better “place where you live”.
And finally, we are going through the challenging process of producing calculations to show this is viable, with the aim of securing a site which would combine our ambitions for a community-led neighbourhood with bringing existing buildings on the site into economic use, with a focus on community wealth building and providing a hub for York’s creative industries.
We’re now just about in a position to say:- If you want to live on York Central (whatever your existing housing situation) or develop a business on York Central (wherever you are in the process right now) then please get in touch via yocoinformation@gmail.com. We need to know how many of you there are, and as soon as there is certainty about the site and the opportunities, we’ll want you to come together and start the process of shaping this place (the images above are just illustrations of what it could be like)!
We rounded out our Meeting with some thinking about the foundations beneath these next steps. We explored ideas around what sort of housing we wanted to see, and how it would connect with the neighbouring communities and a wide range of people across York…
…and we had a conversation which explored what the existing buildings on the site could become, with some investment and creative thought…
Discussion began with what people would like to see happen – moved on to who needs to be involved, and also highlighted / pulled some themes or arguments which might persuade other people and win support.
What we'd like:
Creative Arts Centre – place for people to learn.
Classrooms with facilities, e.g. potters wheels.
Spaces for music and rehearsal.
Zooming out from the foundry buildings themselves, we took a wider view. This could be the cultural heart of York Central – indeed, the cultural heart of the city: contemporary culture, rather than older heritage. Culture being made now. Imagine an art market being held in the square – you’d see it from the train.
We wanted to see a footbridge over the river connecting what's happening in York Central to other places that people live. We wanted to see water – a warning against poorly maintained fountains – but most wanted to see water in some way. Everything coming out of greenery. Make greenery foundational.
Who else to involve:
York Creatives;
Stronger connections to adult learning;
Culture Forum
Music makers
Despite lack of a ward councillor, continue to make links to relevant councillors.
Make links to new business strands
Persuaders:
It is an appalling lack that there is no creative arts centre in York and we should harness some energy behind highlighting that appalling lack.
We need to make the links between lack of affordable housing – most people at least recognise that's an issue – with the lack of affordable space for artists and other producers which is less well understood.
We need to make the business arguments – creating a stronger sense of contemporary culture in York Central will catch money from visitors.
Highlight attractive, cultural spaces elsewhere as models and for inspiration, e.g. bus station in Leicester; Cycle Heaven in Fulford; Southland Studios.
There are still people who we haven't involved fully and who need to help shape the vision. At the same time, if we built and disseminated more widely the York Open Studios participants’ vision, make this help build wider support?
Do keep an eye on this website - there will be news updates (when we have news and the scarce time to publish it here) and information about upcoming Open Meetings - the next is planned for May. And if you want to be kept in touch, then please just join YoCo!