New shops and a ‘customer zone’: This is how York Station will look after £2m revamp

York station is set for a massive revamp as plans for a first class lounge, two new shops and a new ‘customer zone’ have been given the go-ahead.

City of York Council has now approved planning permission for the scheme, which was submitted by LNER in 2017.

Work will begin inside the station later this year, but LNER says a timeline for the project is yet to be finalised.

The ticket office will be relocated to the location of the ladies toilets, which will be moved to a bigger space near the Burger King outlet.

The current ticket office will be turned into two new shops. And the unit housing cash machines, a photo booth and the Filmore and Union cafe will be removed.

A wonderful building

Chris Cunningham, head of the north region for LNER, said:

• We’re delighted that York City Council has approved our plans and look forward to getting started with improving the station for the benefit of those travelling through it.

  It is a wonderful building and the changes that we’re making will help make it an even better asset for the local community.
  

A spokesman said the revamp is set to cost in excess of £2million.

Customers protested against initial plans to get rid of a ticket office at the station and in response, ticket desks were added to the design.

But the planning application says: “Virgin Trains have reflected on this customer research as well as their own use of data reflecting the fact that only 15 per cent of ticket sales are now completed over a ticket desk.

“This is only expected to reduce further in coming years through national simplified ticketing systems and more and more purchases on line and self-ticketing via ticket vending machines.”

Retailers TBC

It adds that passengers “registered concern” at the lack of shops at the station.

LNER has not yet confirmed what retailers will move into the two new stores.

The scheme is completely separate to a project to transform the area outside the station and demolish Queen Street bridge, which was submitted by the council earlier this year.

LNER previously objected to this application, saying the company had concerns that the scale of the work will have a “major impact” on day to day activity at the site.