Permission secured for 195,000 sq ft government hub

The six-storey office, advanced by the Government Property Agency, Homes England and Network Rail, is the first major building consented in the £2.5bn York Central masterplan.

City of York Council’s planning committee approved the proposal yesterday. Avison Young and Atkins lead the professional team.

Earmarked for completion in 2027/2028, the hub will be home to up to 2,600 civil servants. Building features include solar panels, air source heat pumps and a green roof, as well as 230 cycle spaces and a planted pedestrian area.

The development, billed as 1 Cinder Street, includes 135,000 sq ft of flexible office space, with ground floor retail and ancillary space.

Mark Bourgeois, the GPA’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted to achieve planning permission to develop this new facility, which will deliver a modern, inspirational and energy-efficient office development for up to 2,600 civil servants.

“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.

“It’s 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.”

York Central, close to the city’s mainline station, is one of the UK’s largest brownfield sites. It is being brought forward by a collaborative partnership between Homes England, Network Rail, the City of York Council and the National Railway Museum, and will be delivered by private sector partners McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate.

Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail, added: “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.”

Civil service hubs are being taken forward in cities across the UK regions, as part of an ongoing drive to take more public sector roles away from Whitehall. The Darlington Economic Campus is one such project, along with the Manchester Digital Campus, for which the GPA bought five city centre acres in May.