Latimer completes Rowntree’s £80m resi conversion
The development arm of Clarion Housing has transformed the famous York factory into 279 apartments, 30% of which are affordable.
Now known as The Cocoa Works, the site includes a coworking and meeting space for residents in the former Joseph Rowntree Memorial library.
A newly created William Sutton pavilion houses an independent café and a bookable communal space. The space is named after one of the founders of what is now Clarion Housing, a Victorian social housing advocate.
Production at the Rowntree’s Factory halted in 2006 and was left unused for more than a decade before Latimer secured planning permission to redevelop the site in 2017.
Richard Cook, chief development officer at Clarion Housing Group, said: “We all understand just how important the Rowntree’s Factory is to York’s heritage.
“It created some of the country’s best loved confectionery and was a major employer in the city, with a founder in Joseph Rowntree who was ahead of his time when it came to championing workers’ rights and social value.
“That’s why we made a promise to honour this important legacy through our redevelopment of the factory.
“We wanted to do more than just build homes at The Cocoa Works. We aspired to deliver more by sympathetically redeveloping the factory to sit at the centre of a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood which provides quality homes, amenities and shared spaces to help foster a genuine community.”
Ryan O’Loughlin, director at Henry Boot Construction, the principal contractor for The Cocoa Works project, said: “The Rowntree’s Factory is an iconic part of York’s heritage and we’re proud to have delivered its transformation to The Cocoa Works.
“This ensures the story of this beloved building continues for decades to come with a residential development of outstanding quality.”
