YORK has been awarded almost a quarter of a million pounds from the Government to help speed up the redevelopment of the city's largest brownfield site.

The £224,000 grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government to City of York Council will provide extra resources to resolve planning issues and other delays at York Central.

This was the maximum amount of funding the authority could be awarded and is part of a £16.5million pot of money called the ‘capacity funding’, which will support house building on the teardrop site behind York railway station.

Cllr Sam Lisle, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods, said the funding was an important boost to help the authority speed up the delivery of much needed new housing and employment opportunities for the underused site.

“We are continuing to work closely with our partners to progress investment and delivery for York Central," he said.

"Our vision is to build a high quality addition to the city including building between 1,000 and 2,500 new homes and 60,000 to 120,000 square meters of office, leisure and retail uses.”

A spokeswoman said the council applied for the funding in November 2016, with the Homes and Communities Agency receiving 180 bids, with 98 English local authorities successful.

"It is hoped the cash could aid the building of up to 800,000 new homes on sites of 1,500-plus units and in priority Housing Zones across England," she said. "York Central was allocated a Housing Zone in 2015."