A PROJECT for business start-ups in York city centre has been ranked in the top five shipping container shopping villages in the UK.

To shine a spotlight on the potential of an empty shipping container and to show the innovative and exciting work new business owners are doing across the UK, modular building expert Elliott have picked their top five and among them is Spark:York.

Elliott’s strategic sales and marketing director, Trace Norton, said: “It’s a joy to see so many towns and cities thriving from something as simple as a storage container. Their versatility really is inspiring, and we would recommend that anyone close to our top 5 should go and visit and see the excitement for themselves.”

He full list is: Box Park – Shoreditch; Stack – Newcastle; Hatch – Manchester; Spark – York and Cargo - Bristol.

Od Spark they say: "Adding to York’s growing choice of eccentric places to visit, Spark is a vibrant mix of art, community theatres, food, drink and more. Consisting of 23 upcycled containers over 2 levels, Spark is part of The Council of York’s project to revitalised those forgotten areas of the city. Now it hosts shared workspaces, a performance area and some incredible food and drink kiosks such as Doner Summer, Bohemian Bar and Clucking Oinks. If you fancy ordering their food to your home, check out Spark Go to see who delivers."

The look of the giant metal containers has always been controversial, in York with some critics and detractors arguing they look out of place in the conservation area and a battle over wooden cladding ended earlier this year.

But a few months ago tall timber cladding was put up all around the site in Piccadilly.

Last month the council gave York permission to stay until April 2022.

The Press has previously reported that senior councillors will be asked to look at a redevelopment strategy for the site later this year.

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