NETWORK Rail is being urged not to demolish a 19th century building which forms part of York’s railway history.

Alliance House was built in the late 1800s in the north-eastern corner of the York Carriageworks off Holgate Road, which closed down in the 1990s.

It has lain empty for a number of years and permission has already been granted for it to be knocked down.

The building also stands in the way of one of three proposed access roads into the York Central development site - from Holgate Road - about which a public consultation is being launched next week.

But conservationist Alison Sinclair, who is a member of the conservation area advisory panel, said the building represented a major part of York’s industrial history and there was keen local interest in the community in its retention and use for community activities.

She said that if it could be saved, the historic interest of the building as part of the sadly defunct carriageworks would be retained.

“It would act as an anchor to new buildings on the site, giving the new construction appropriate and accurate context,” she said.

She added that conversion of the building to office use would correspond with information she received from a local resident, who had said that when he was a British Rail regional manager or director, he used to attend meetings in Alliance House to discuss new and additional train sets he required from ABB, the last manufacturer at the carriageworks.

“He said they used to meet in a room fitted out like a boardroom and was very keen that the building should be saved and re-used.”

James Pitt, spokesman for York Central Action, a community organisation formed in and around the York Central site, said demolition now would be ‘premature and unnecessary’ and should not go ahead at this stage.

He said: “We don’t want anything until we have the bigger picture of what is going to happen on the whole site.”

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said Alliance House had been empty for the past six years and was in a state of disrepair.

“We have all the necessary permissions to demolish the building,” she said.

“Before the demolition occurs, an electrical substation needs to be removed. We put an order in for this and we are waiting for the removal to be completed.

“Alliance House sits on one of the three proposed new routes into the York Central Development.”

She added that the demolition would not commence until after the present consultation had been completed.