News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

Bootham Crescent to be sold and demolition to begin ‘within weeks’ after fans’ final farewell

Fans in Bootham Crescent during the farewell tours. Photograph: Dan Simmonite / York City FC
@ Changing city

York City FC is in advanced negotiations with Persimmon Homes to tie up the sale of Bootham Crescent.

The deal could be finalised ‘within weeks’ the club says, after which the York developer can move in to demolish the stadium and build 97 homes in its place.

In a statement, City said: “The club is currently in advanced negotiations with Persimmon Homes and hope to progress finalising a deal in the coming weeks.

Trending

  1. Britain’s best places to live have been announced – and include this brilliant North Yorkshire town
  2. Police searching for missing man find body in North Yorkshire
  3. York woman dubbed ‘Britain’s most wanted’ has jail time doubled

“Persimmon have completed all the groundwork ready for the sale and the club is expecting to complete the process by early next year.

“We will of course keep supporters updated once dates are agreed for handover and when the site will be demolished.”

The club has been working to locate ashes and urns of fans buried at the football ground, after records were “destroyed by a previous regime”.

“Families permitting, fans whose ashes have been recovered will eventually be reinterred in a Bootham Crescent ‘memorial area’ near to a preserved section of the Popular Stand once the ground is redeveloped for housing,” the club said.

Name the blocks

The Bootham Crescent pitch has been excavated and urns removed

The club have already agreed in principle with Persimmon Homes and City of York Council that two roads on the housing development will be named ‘David Longhurst Way’ and ‘Keith Walwyn Walk’ – in tribute to our former players.

“Further to this, we would like supporters to suggest names for the four apartment blocks which we plan to advise on for Persimmon. These can be former players, managers, staff, directors or even teams,” the club says.

You can click here to make your suggestion.

York Cycle Campaign #Ad

Bootham Crescent welcomed visitors and shut its gates for the final time yesterday (Wednesday).

Overall, the old ground saw more than 2,500 members of the public attend to say their farewells across two days with signage and other old merchandise and memorabilia sold to supporters.

Some items have been taken to be put up at the LNER Community Stadium and plans are in place for any additional items to be auctioned off via the online store.