These pictures show how different the York Station area will look after its revamp

These pictures show how different the area around York Station will be after the planned revamp.

The images are contained in planning documents for the major redevelopment.

Drivers are being warned to expect disruption while part of York’s inner ring road is demolished as part of the scheme.

A temporary road will be built around Queen Street bridge to ease traffic while the bridge is removed.

A City of York Council spokesman said there will be weekend and overnight road closures and traffic will be diverted on to the temporary road for at least three months.

Planning documents also say a number of residents on Queen Street could be offered alternative accommodation while some of the noisiest works take place.

Inevitable disruption

James Gilchrist, the council’s assistant director for transport, said some overnight and weekend closures would be required to join the existing road and temporary road, adding:

• This will allow people to continue to use the road largely unaffected.

  Following this we will then be able to remove the bridge and build the new road in its place. Once the road is completed then we would need some further overnight closures to join it to the road network.
  

Some disruption would be ‘inevitable’, he said. A planning application has been submitted for the scheme and it says that, if approved, work on the first phase could start in the autumn and last about 16 months.

As part of the plans, the railway institute’s band room could also be demolished, the Unipart building behind the station would be knocked down and the land used to create 274 parking spaces.

The temporary road would then be diverted into the long stay car park and past the railway institute.

Documents also say there could be up to 70 HGVs a day accessing the station site from Leeman Road while the work is carried out.

Concerns about scheme

Micklegate councillors Jonny Crawshaw and Lars Kramm welcomed plans to upgrade the front of the station but said there are still concerns over the scheme and that traffic disruption must be as minimal as possible.

Cllr Crawshaw said:

• It is a shame to lose an early example of a concrete railway bridge and its removal will inevitably have an impact on traffic in the short term.

  I do have concerns about the location of the long-stay disabled parking bays so far from the station entrance and I am keen that residents on Queen Street itself are not unduly impacted by the design and construction, but overall I think this project is going to be really positive for this part of the city.
  

Cllr Kramm added: “The current arrangements around the station fail pedestrians, cyclists, bus users and car users alike.

“We need to aim to minimise the short-term disruption during the demolition at this important traffic intersection in York for the long term benefits.”