More than 200 student flats planned on site of former York health facility

The site of a former mental health hospital in York is set to become home to student accommodation featuring 210 rooms, in a largely ‘car-free’ development.

York St John University has submitted plans to build three storey blocks of flats for their students at Peppermill Court, Ramsay Close.

It was a 24-bed mental health care facility which became surplus to the NHS Trust’s requirements after the opening of Foss Park, the new 72-bed mental health hospital at Haxby Road.

The site of the plans

The proposed new development would sit among other student accommodation known as The Grange, which includes St Mary’s House to the east, a Grade II listed 19th century workhouse converted to student living in the 1990s.

The design “responds to and enhances the setting of the Grade II listed St Mary’s House and neighbouring Conservation Area”, say documents.

York St John held a consultation over the plans and received “predominantly positive” feedback, “with some concerns around parking and trees”.

In response, they describe the plans as a “non-car development”.

Planning documents state: “The university will be removing any existing parking from the Peppermill Court site as well as some from the existing parking to the front of St Mary’s combined with the introduction of an office as a part of the proposed development, allowing a member of university staff to be able to enforce the University’s strict car permit policies.

“Permits are only being given to students with disabilities to provide accessible access to the Grange site and minimise the amount of cars within university sites.”

You can read the full planning application here.