What to watch in 2026 | Yorkshire

In no particular order, and offering a variety of regional delights, Place Yorkshire has compiled our list of key projects to watch over the coming year.

York Central 

McLaren Property, Arlington Real Estate, Homes England, City of York Council, and Network Rail are driving forward this £2.5bn redevelopment of 110 acres of disused railway land in central York. The project will create a major mixed-use urban quarter featuring between 2,500 and 3,000 homes, around 1m sq ft of commercial space, and new infrastructure including improved access to York Station and extensive public-realm upgrades.

Infrastructure works have been progressing through 2025, with early phases of roads, pedestrian routes, and public-realm improvements already under way. More visible construction activity across residential and commercial plots is expected to accelerate in 2026 as the scheme moves into full build-out.

The design team was also appointed earlier this year, and includes Allies and Morrison as the masterplan architect for the project, with Grant Associates set to design the landscaped park and public realm, while Sheppard Robson, Cartwright Pickard, Corstorphine & Wright, Haworth Tompkins, 3D Reid, and re-form complete the wider team of architects on the scheme.

One of the largest city-centre brownfield regeneration projects in the UK, reserved matter plans for phase one will be submitted imminently, to include 999 homes, 20% of which will be affordable, a 99,000 sq ft Innovation Hub, a 213-bed hotel, and 69,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, a new western station entrance, and public realm and a park.

This CGI shows an area of new public realm and the hotel, with the railway station in the background to the left. Credit: York Central

Leeds South Bank

Selected as one of 12 new towns by the government in September, this Leeds City Council-led regeneration programme  sits on 640 acres and will play a large part in the city council’s 10-year plan for the area. The long-term vision includes delivering around 10,000 new homes alongside significant commercial space and employment opportunities, with Aire Park – Vastint’s redevelopment of the former Tetley Brewery site – forming one of the flagship early phases.

Projects currently taking shape in the area also include, Sky Gardens by Torsion Group and CityLife, Sweetfields by Platform_ and Housing Growth Partnership, and Florence Square by Southside Leeds, a joint venture between Shelborn Asset Management and Stamford Property Holdings.

Momentum is expected to build through 2026 as ongoing investment from regional housing funds and development frameworks helps move several elements of the scheme toward deliverable construction phases. This includes new residential neighbourhoods, commercial buildings, and extensive public-realm improvements.

Aire Park is one of Leeds’ key projects as the South Bank comes together. Credit: via Aberfield

Bradford’s Southern Gateway

The Southern Gateway covers around 310 acres to the south of Bradford city centre and is being supported by a wide partnership including Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Department for Transport, Homes England and other public and private stakeholders under a governance structure known as the Southern Gateway Board.

Located to the south of the city and bordered by Manchester Road and Leeds Road, the vision currently includes ECF’s City Village, which will see around 900 city centre homes built across Chain Street, Oastler, and Kirkgate. The final phase of public consultation on phase one is underway, with work expected to start next spring.

Other plans for the Southern Gateway site include £4.5bn of transport upgrades, including a new railway station and Mass Transit, a new CBD, up to 5,000 homes, public realm, and green spaces. In May this year, Arup was appointed to develop the masterplan for the new district, a process which is expected to conclude in May 2026. Full delivery of the district is expected to span five to ten years or more.

Cllr Hinchcliffe, left, with Mayor Brabin, viewing a model of the scheme at UKREiiF. Credit: Bradford City Council

Goole Freeport South

The project is being taken forward by Henry Boot Developments on behalf of landowner St John’s College, Cambridge, supported by advisers including Arup, architect BDP, and Savills. The site lies directly south of the M62 at Junction 36, close to Goole Docks, and when built out is expected to deliver more than 5.5m sq ft of flexible employment space, accommodating units from 40,000 sq ft up to 1m sq ft.

As for 2026, the project is transitioning from planning into physical delivery: outline permission was granted in September and enabling works, including demolition of existing agricultural structures at Percy Lodge Farm and preparatory site and infrastructure works, are expected to move forward.

Professor Neal Juster, interim chair of Humber Freeport, said of the 300-acre development: “For Goole, it is further recognition of the strength of the investment proposition in the town. Its strategic location, connectivity and infrastructure make it an ideal location to invest, creating high-quality direct employment and supply chain opportunities.

HBD submitted the application for the scheme in June last year. Credit: via planning docs

Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Gateway East

Gateway East is a major regeneration initiative centred on the former Doncaster Sheffield Airport and surrounding land, aiming to create a sustainable airport city that combines aviation, logistics, advanced manufacturing, commercial space, housing, and community infrastructure. Earmarked as the core of the scheme, the airport is being brought back into operation under public-led ownership, with FlyDoncaster managing the site and funding of around £160m approved by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

The wider Gateway East area also includes an Airside Development zone with more than 1m sq ft of employment space designed to attract aviation and logistics-related businesses.

Key milestones for 2026 include the planned resumption of freight flights in summer, with passenger services targeted for autumn/winter, alongside ongoing enabling works such as infrastructure upgrades, airspace redesign, and recruitment for airport operations. Residential and community development is also progressing, with planning approvals secured for more than 1,000 homes at Peel’s Hurstwood zone.

Speaking about the project, a spokesman said: “2026 will be an absolutely pivotal year for the reopening of the airport. In January, the first meeting of the Airport Consultative Committee will take place. This group will play a vital role in shaping how the project comes together, providing a platform for stakeholders to have a voice.

“Discussions with airlines – both passenger and freight – will continue, as we progress towards reopening. Several very positive discussions have already taken place with operators, and as we move through 2026, these will be fine-tuned and firmed up…

“Alongside the existing Gateway East Strategic Investment Zone, which neighbours the airport, there will also be an opportunity for significant airside development on the airport estate itself. Around 126 acres of prime land will be available to tenants who can add to the site’s strategic strengths and Doncaster’s overall ambitions.”

Credit: City of Doncaster Council

East Bank, Hull

East Bank Urban Village is a major regeneration project on brownfield land east of the River Hull, and forms a central pillar of the city’s strategy to revitalise under-used waterfront land. ECF has been confirmed as lead development partner under a 15-year agreement signed with Hull City Council. The plan is to deliver up to 850 new homes in a mix of affordable housing, build-to-rent apartments and townhouses, along with ground-floor commercial space, public realm, streets, plazas and green spaces.

Enabling works have started, including structural repairs to heritage assets such as the Trinity Buoy Shed and the adjacent river walkway, and acquisition of several land parcels is underway. ECF and the council are preparing detailed designs now, with a hybrid planning application expected to be lodged in 2026. This makes 2026 a pivotal year: hopefully, plans are approved, construction can get underway, and enabling works may ramp up.

ECF is a partnership made up of Homes England, Legal & General and Muse.. Credit: Hull City Council

Unity Yorkshire, Doncaster

Unity Yorkshire is a major infrastructure and regeneration initiative covering roughly 600 acres to the east of Doncaster near the M18. The long-term project will create a substantial new mixed-use settlement, incorporating residential, commercial, and community areas.

At full build-out, Unity Yorkshire is planned to deliver more than 3,000 new homes and 2m sq ft of employment floor space, supporting around 7,000 jobs across several development zones. These include residential neighbourhoods, business parks, community facilities and green spaces.

One of the largest new settlements emerging in Yorkshire, progress is expected to accelerate through 2026, with the potential for early housing delivery, initial employment buildings and further enabling works such as roads and utilities.  TJ Morris’ 830,000 sq ft unit is tipped to complete next October, early retail/amenity units will be operating, and groundwork exists for further residential and commercial growth.

McLaren is building the mega distribution unit for TJ Morris, owner of Home Bargains. Credit: via Jennie Holland PR

Coney Street Riverside, York

A smaller project, but one that is so central to North Yorkshire’s capital, this development is being led by developer Helmsley Group, working with a team that includes brown + company, O’Neill Associates, Corstorphine and Wright, Montagu Evans, Aspect4, Gillespies, Troup Bywaters & Anders, Billinghurst George & Partners, Jane Simpson Access, Knight Frank, and DS Emotion.

The masterplan calls for around 250,000 sq ft of retail and leisure units, commercial space, student accommodation, and new public‑realm. The scheme will revitalise under‑used or vacant buildings and upper floors along the high‑street, while reconnecting Coney Street with the riverfront via a new pedestrian snickelway, riverside walkways, public courtyards and green spaces, creating a vibrant, accessible riverside quarter in central York.

A first phase, named St Martins Yard, will deliver several ground‑floor retail units and seven riverside apartments by repurposing buildings at 3‑7 Coney Street, opening up rear access through to the riverfront and if all goes to plan, by 2026 residents could move into new city‑centre apartments, new shops, cafés or leisure venues may be operating, and public‑realm improvements should be coming on‑stream.

The newly designed at the back of Nos3-7 Coney Street will open up commercial and public use of the riverside. Credit: Corstorphine and Wright