A ‘centre circle’ garden and more homes – Bootham Crescent developers revise plans

Revised plans for the Bootham Crescent stadium site include a garden in the centre circle, a retained section of terracing – and more homes.

Persimmon Homes is planning to develop the site after York City Football Club and York City Knights rugby team move to the LNER Community Stadium at Monks Cross.

Fans attending a York City FC forum heard that 50 homes were originally planned for the site – but that the number has now risen to 97.

A planning application for 80 houses on the land was submitted to City of York Council last February – but the bid has now been updated to increase housing by 17 extra homes.

Nod to the heritage

The original plans were criticised for being unimaginative.

York Civic Trust said: “This development fails to acknowledge the heritage of its setting and the communal significance associated with the current football stadium…

“A landscape layout that is inspired by the current stadium, perhaps in rectangular form, or through the use of the centre circle as a communal green space, for example, would successfully maintain a semblance of historic character.”

The revised plan seems to do just that, showing a centre-circle style memorial garden ‘with reclaimed picket fencing’ within a layout which mirrors aspects of the pitch.

There is also a section of retained terracing – and a flag in the corner.

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes Yorkshire, said:

• We understand the importance of designing a development that is in keeping with Bootham Crescent’s history.

  We have sought to incorporate many of the York Civic Trust and Historic England’s proposals within our recently submitted revised scheme.

  Our design aims to replicate the feeling of a traditional football stadium by creating an enclosed green central space with open corners. We are proposing for this area to be a memorial garden.

  The proposed scheme is still under consultation. Whilst the size, position and details of the memorial garden are yet to be formally agreed, it is likely that the features within the current proposal are incorporated.
  

The planning application is submitted jointly by the developer and the football club.

At the Fans Forum, a club spokesman said 97 homes is a “very good figure” and that the proposals are currently with the council and will go out for consultation.

In 2005 the club bought Bootham Crescent back on the basis that York City FC would relocate to a new stadium and Persimmon would then have an option to buy the site.

Additional reporting: Chloe Laversuch, local democracy reporter