Revealed: 12 new pictures of major York Minster development – as plans go in

The plans are in.

York Minster’s bold proposals to create a research campus on two sites within a chisel’s throw of the ancient cathedral have been submitted to City of York Council.

And they come with more revealing images of how it will look.

As we reported last month, the Minster’s £5 million Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills and Estate Management will be based on two sites.

The Heritage Quad in part of the gardens of Minster Court and the Deanery’s garages and workshops would be a learning area and accommodation for apprentices.

The Works and Technology Hub, found where The Stoneyard and York Glaziers Trust are today, would see the present buildings upgraded and filled with new state of the art equipment.

Together they would provide new research, education and training facilities in the ancient craft skills needed to conserve buildings like York Minster.

The Heritage Quad

“It is proposed that the majority of walls, and therefore the existing footprint, are retained – the existing yard size forms the new ‘heritage quad’ courtyard and will be the same walls on three sides,” say the planning documents.

A timber roof will be added to create “an arched structure that rises organically to create a higher ceiling space for the workshop”.

View of the grass paver artwork within the quad. Image: planning documents

View from the city wall from the west, showing the building and garden. Image: planning documents

Views from the city walls will allow people to see “the craft workshop in the foreground and Minster that they continue to preserve” which would be “a wonderful opportunity to publicly celebrate the Minster’s future heritage-skills priorities”.

The Heritage Quad as seen from the city walls

View of the vehicular access grass pavers, sloping up to the city walls. Image: planning documents

The plans include accommodation for the apprentice stonemasons and others, to remove the barrier of high York rents. The accommodation building has six en-suite bedrooms and a shared living/kitchen/dining room.

As part of the proposed landscaping, there will be a Rampart Rockery Garden next to the city walls, a Water Garden where rainwater will be harvested, and a Shingle Garden next to the student block.

View of the apprentice’s shingle gardens and species rich flowering lawn. Image: planning documents

View of the rainwater harvesting tank and rain garden by the apprentice gardens. Image: planning documents

Aerial diagram showing the environmental aspects of the quad. Image: planning documents

The Technology Hub

Looking from the roof balcony to the work area. Image: planning documents

“Space in the Minster’s Stoneyard is now at a premium and the site has evolved in an ad-hoc manner without a clear vision for the future and leaving inefficient uses of the space,” planning documents state.

“The new technology necessitates the discussion to alter the massing as the modern machines are now larger and require to be covered.

“Therefore the opportunity to clear the poor quality buildings on the site as highlighted gives a chance to create a clean, large covered space with an architectural and pragmatic coherence worthy of the aspirations to be a leader in conservation and technological innovation in heritage craft.”