McLaren and Arlington confirmed for York Central

Homes England and Network Rail have selected the partnership as their preferred developer for the £2.5bn brownfield scheme, which could house up to 1m sq ft of offices and 2,500 homes.

York Central is being brought forward by a partnership between Homes England, Network Rail, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum.

Since the summer, the McLaren/Arlington partnership had been on a shortlist of two with Muse and Aviva. Place Yorkshire understands that the bidders were informed of the preferred developer selection in mid-November, with a subsequent statutory cooling-off period now completed.

JLL acted for Homes England and Network Rail in the developer procurement process. CBRE represented McLaren and Arlington.

There are already £135m of infrastructure works under way to enable this major regional scheme to progress. These include over 3km of new roads, footpaths, cycleways and also include two new bridges over the East Coast Main Line.

York Central’s driving aim is the transformation of underutilised railway land into vibrant and distinctive residential neighbourhoods, cultural spaces, public realm and a commercial quarter, in a city that in development terms is constrained by its bountiful heritage assets.

Peter Denton, chief executive at Homes England, said: “This is a major milestone in the important regeneration of York Central. Over the last few years, Homes England and Network Rail have worked closely with City of York Council to create a vision and masterplan, invest in critical infrastructure, and build investment confidence. Our plan will now be accelerated through our chosen development partner for long term delivery and stewardship.”

Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail, said: “This is a strategic step forward in the regeneration of over 110 acres of underused railway land to deliver significant investment and social value for the City and region.

“York Central puts infrastructure at the heart of a new residential, commercial, and cultural neighbourhood. The project demonstrates the pivotal role Network Rail Property can play in unlocking sites which deliver growth, jobs and housing.”

John Gatley, chief executive of McLaren Property, said:   “We are proud to have been selected to deliver York Central – the most significant regeneration scheme in the north of England. McLaren have deep roots in Yorkshire, and we are committed to working with local stakeholders to enhance the great city of York.”

Allan Cook, founder of Arlington Real Estate, said: “Having spent the last 15 years focussing on the delivery of large scale mixed use development schemes in the North of England we have witnessed firsthand the positive benefits, to both communities and the local economy, of large scale regeneration.

“We are delighted to have been given the opportunity, alongside our partners McLaren Property, to be able to write the next chapter in the story of this great historic city.”