York and North Yorkshire to launch three Mayoral Development Zones
Backed by a £10m regeneration fund, Scarborough, the Selby Growth Corridor, and York Central are set to be given the designation at the Combined Authority’s cabinet meeting next month.
A report due to be considered by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Cabinet recommends the creation of the three zones as part of a wider strategy to use devolved powers to unlock housing, employment land. and major infrastructure investment across the region.
The proposed MDZs would cover some of the authority’s most significant development sites, including York Central, one of the UK’s largest city-centre regeneration projects; a cluster of former colliery and industrial sites around Selby; and a series of brownfield and mixed-use redevelopment opportunities in Scarborough.
Unlike statutory Mayoral Development Corporations, MDZs are non-statutory designations designed to coordinate investment, planning, and regeneration activity without taking planning powers away from local authorities.
The Combined Authority argues that all three locations already have willing landowners, active development partners, and planning frameworks in place, meaning the principal barriers relate to viability, infrastructure, and investment rather than governance.
The report proposes ringfencing an initial £10m Mayoral Development Zone Regeneration Fund, drawn from Mayoral Investment Funding and Local Growth Funding, alongside a further £500,000 revenue allocation to support programme delivery and technical work.
York Central is identified as the region’s flagship regeneration scheme. The 110-acre former railway lands project has an estimated gross development value of £2.5bn and could deliver 3,000 homes, up to 1.4m sq ft of commercial and retail floorspace, 10,000 jobs, and extensive public realm.
The project already has outline planning approval with reserved matters for phase one of the £2bn regeneration scheme submitted in December. The scheme has been led by masterplanner Allies and Morrison as well as landscape specialists Grant Associates.
Infrastructure works valued at £135m are nearing completion, with development potentially starting in 2027, subject to detailed planning approvals and viability issues being resolved.
In Selby, the proposed MDZ would bring together more than 500 acres of development land across sites including Gascoigne Wood, Core 62, Konect 62, Olympia Park and the town centre and station gateway.
The corridor is being promoted as a major employment growth area with opportunities spanning logistics, rail, advanced manufacturing and data centres, although challenges around remediation and flood mitigation remain.
Scarborough’s proposed MDZ would focus on unlocking a range of brownfield regeneration opportunities, alongside housing growth and town-centre renewal. The report highlights viability challenges and argues that targeted public-sector intervention is needed to attract private investment and accelerate delivery.
The three locations have been identified as the region’s most advanced and development-ready regeneration priorities, selected because of their scale, economic significance, and ability to support wider growth ambitions.
If the proposal is approved, detailed boundaries for each MDZ will be agreed with the relevant local authorities before formal designation and launch. Governance arrangements will be tailored to each zone, with advisory boards established where required.
The Combined Authority says the initial £10m commitment is intended as the first stage of a longer-term investment programme that will seek to combine local, regional, and national funding with private-sector capital to deliver the full potential of the three zones.
