Bishopthorpe Palace set for revamp

An application to revamp living and office accommodation in the Grade I listed building comes before planning councillors this week.

The Church Commissioners, who manage the Church of England's historic assets, want to ensure the palace meets disability access guidelines and abides by health and safety regulations.

Officers at City of York Council are recommending that the scheme be approved when members of the authority's west and city centre planning sub committee meet to discuss the application on Thursday.

A report to councillors, written by development control officer Richard Beal, concludes that the proposals "continue the legacy of alterations by successive occupiers of the palace" but says the "proposals are considered justified and they would not appear to adversely affect the special historic and architectural interest of the building".

Some of the items on the plan include:

* A self-contained flat for Archbishop John Sentamu and his family.

* New office accommodation.

* Installing a lift for disabled access.

Andrew Brown, Church Commissioners' secretary, told The Press in August: "Our plans are aimed at providing a modern and appropriate base for the ministry of the current Archbishop and his successors.

"No major work has been carried out at Bishopthorpe Palace for 30 years. The accommodation for the Archbishop needs to be reordered to provide privacy for him and his family, and it is intended to bring back into productive use areas of the building that have been previously disused.

The report states the Church Commissioners want to ensure full inclusive access for all users of the Palace and to bring the building up to modern standards.

The earliest sections of the Palace date from about 1250 with extensions added in about 1480, 1650, 1769 and 1835.

If approved, it's expected the work would take about 18 months to complete with the Archbishop in temporary accommodation until it is finished.