RENOVATIONS are proposed for a historic York building so it can be let for office use and help fund other conservation projects.

The York Conservation Trust seeks to undertake the work at De Grey House, in St Leonard’s Place, next door to the Theatre Royal.

The trust bought the Grade II-listed building from City of York Council, who has used it offices, in 2005, with the trust aiming to restore the building and protect it for future generations.

A planning application has been submitted to the council for external works to include replacement roof lanterns, new rooflights, bin store, external decoration and repairs to roof, windows and doors.

Furthermore, if approved, internal works would include reinstating a front lobby partition, removing and creating partition walls and upgrading heating and electrical systems. 

The plans say De Grey House was build as a family residence in 1835-36 and in 1910 was extended and altered when it became York Central Conservative Club, a use it kept until 1986. In recent years, it has been offices but is presently unoccupied.

An extension built for the Conservative Club over a century ago included a large billiards hall on the first floor and services on the ground floor. Rooms in the original house were converted to serve as reading rooms and games rooms, while a separate flat was created on the second floor.

By 1986, the Conservative Club outgrew the site and took over the next door De Grey Rooms and the city council bought De Grey House. They converted it to offices, including the Tourist Information office.

Minor alterations were made in 1997, with more substantial work in 2012, after the trust bought the building in 2005.

From 2013 to March 2021 the site was tenanted by the York Theatre Royal (York Citizens Theatre Trust), where it operated as the office for the York Mystery Plays Supporters Trust. Since 2021 the site has been used for pop-up and short-term leases but has largely remained vacant.

York Conservation Trust leases properties to commercial and residential tenants, using any surplus to buy more historic York properties. Its policy is to buy within the YO (North Yorkshire) postcodes, recognised heritage assets needing repair. To manage this without grant funding, properties must be let commercially, whilst meeting conservation and community needs.

The application said: “The scheme proposed in this application represents a phased scheme of repair and minor alterations/upgrades to facilitate the return of the site into modern commercial use.

“Beyond like-for-like repairs, the majority of the proposed works are designed to improve electrical and fire safety, improve accessibility across the ground floor, and remove inappropriate modern interventions.

“This scheme of works has been carefully considered to preserve, and where possible enhance, the site’s special architectural and historic interest, and ensure its optimal viable use for the future.”