Plans in for flagship York affordable homes

Designed by Mikhail Riches, the 36-home redevelopment of the former Willow House care home site is a key element of the council’s affordable housing delivery programme.

Plans were validated for the project on City of York Council’s planning portal in December. Tibbalds is advising as planning consultant.

Both Tibbalds and Mikhail Riches – a firm recognised for its work on Sheffield’s Park Hill regeneration – are established partners of the council, working together on the New Ordnance Lane scheme from 2023 onwards, also an affordable living scheme.

The Willow House site sits on the inner side of York’s historic city walls, directly south of the Walmgate Bar gatehouse. It sits directly to the east of Long Close Lane, to the south of Walmgate, and to both the north and west of Barbican Road, due to the road’s curving shape.

As client, the council will seek the demolition  of existing buildings on site, to be replaced by four new buildings offering a combined 36 homes.

On the table are: 11 one-bed two-person homes, 11 two-bed three-person homes, eight two-bed four-person homes, and six three-bed five person homes. Twenty two homes are proposed as for social rent and 14 for shared ownership.

To the north of the site, Blocks 1 and 2 accommodate a combined 10 flats in gatehouse-style buildings, with Block 3 in the south-west corner offering six flats, four of them wheelchair-accessible. Block 4 is a two-storey terrace of eight houses, bookended with three-storey structures offering a combined 12 flats.

As well as private and shared gardens, the scheme includes two areas of public open space, Walmgate Triangle and Walmgate Green.

The proposals can be viewed on City of York’s planning portal with the reference 25/02537/FULM.