Plans are in to demolish two buildings that were long part of York’s railway heritage.
Alliance House and the Canteen Building, which were part of the Holgate Engineering Works, are set to go.
Both are on York’s Heritage Local List, a register of buildings of local importance.
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd has applied to demolish both buildings. Part of the facade of Alliance House would be retained.
“Alliance House and the Canteen Building are two of the last remaining structures which once comprised the historic Holgate Carriage Works complex,” planning documents state.
“The facility, established as a centre for building new passenger carriages, was opened in 1884 by the North Eastern Railway Company as a further extension to their expanding York railway infrastructure.”
Alliance House is a block of buildings at the north east end of the former carriageworks, originally built as a huge general store.
At one end were offices – the drawing office was on the top floor.
According to York’s Local List: “The origin stores building was later converted to to house modern offices for the carriage works.
“The building has high Historical Significance representing a major part of York’s heavy industrial history, and a High Communal Significance encompassing an era of more then 150 years during which many York families earned their livelihoods from the construction & maintenance of locomotives, wagons and carriages in the city.”
Meanwhile, the list describes the canteen as: “The last remaining social building in the carriage works complex, with interesting architecture including ‘oriel’ windows at either end.”
Network Rail’s historic building statement says: “In more recent years, however, both buildings have fallen into disuse. Alliance House was completely vacated, and it currently lies derelict.
“In April 2023, the roof of the Canteen Building’s gabled rear extension collapsed.”
A planning application for the demolition of both buildings is now in with City of York Council. This will involve “partial mechanical demolition with facade and side elevation retained.”
It adds: “Once demolished the spoil will be loaded onto 8 wheeled wagons and the slab cleared of debris.”
A Maintenance Delivery Unit is set to be built on the site. Plans for that building form part of a separate planning application.
Both buildings will be documented before demolition and these archives “will be made publicly available by means of a database in digital form”.
You can read and comment on the demolition planning application here.