BIG-NAME shops could be on the way to the centre of York under new plans for one of the city’s largest-ever developments.
The owners of the Coppergate Centre have revealed they are looking at creating a £100 million to £150 million scheme on the Castle Piccadilly site, and talks with “major national retailers” are now being held.
LaSalle Investment Management and its development manager, Centros, is also talking with Fenwick about the possibility of the company expanding its Coppergate Centre store within the project.
It has already begun consulting English Heritage because of Castle Piccadilly’s sensitive location near Clifford’s Tower, which led to the controversial “Coppergate II” plans being thrown out at a public inquiry in 2003.
A public consultation is set to be launched in the next few months, after which design work would begin. A planning application could follow at the end of next year or in early 2013 and, if approved, work could start later that year and be completed in late 2015 or early 2016.
The owners of the site claimed plans for a new shopping development at Monks Cross – also including a community stadium for York City FC and York City Knights – would “kill” the city centre. They said their own plans would protect the centre from losing shoppers to out-of-town retail parks and provide it with extra investment.
Centros and LaSalle would not confirm the names of the retailers they are currently holding talks with, but said several would be “new to the city” and there was “significant market interest” in the scheme.
“Far from being at a standstill, our plans for the Castle Piccadilly site have been taken forward to a point that consultation with local stakeholders is imminent,” said Centros spokesman Graeme Chalk.
“In fact, we have been working closely with City of York Council to put forward a scheme which will benefit the city centre, not kill it like the scheme at Monks Cross. York desperately needs more investment in the city centre to halt its current decline, and the last thing it needs is more out-of-town shopping which will suck the lifeblood out of the centre.”
Centros said feedback from the consultation would help shape the design of any development. “We are confident a high-quality development which fully respects its historic setting can be delivered,” said Mr Chalk.
“Our development will also provide the kind of space major national retailers need, but which is not currently available in the city centre. Fulfilling their needs will stop them seeking out-of-town alternatives.”
The site’s previous owners, Land Securities, had hoped to revamp the land between Clifford’s Tower and Piccadilly, but its plans provoked fierce opposition from conservation groups.
Following the Government’s rejection of its proposals, Land Securities sold its interest in the site to LaSalle in 2008.
New proposals are welcomed
OAKGATE (Monks Cross) Ltd, which is seeking planning permission for the Monks Cross shopping park and community stadium, disagreed with the Castle Piccadilly developers’ claims that the out-of-town scheme would damage York’s city centre.
Richard France, the company’s managing director, said: “We would welcome any Castle Piccadilly development in the future, but this could not deliver a community stadium at Monks Cross due to the distance between the two sites.
“That aside, we simply do not recognise the gloomy picture painted by Centros and LaSalle. Our own specialist retail assessment finds York city centre trades strongly, has a low rate of empty shops and has significant demand for retail space. It also finds our development at Monks Cross will have no lasting impact on the health of the city centre and is estimated to bring an extra £50 million per year in retail spend into York as a whole.”
City of York Council leader James Alexander said: “We are very supportive of the development of Castle Piccadilly for retail, and this site is at the heart of our future retail strategy for the city.”
Susie Cawood, head of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said the development would be “a welcome boost” to the city centre, but added: “Too much emphasis is placed on the ‘out of town versus city centre’ development debate.”
Revived shopping scheme welcomed
IF ONE thing divides retailers it’s the growth of out-of-town shopping malls, which city centre traders believe sound a death knell for their outlets. We have always held the view that a healthy mix of out-of-town and city-centre shopping is needed to maintain York’s vibrancy, so we welcome news that the Castle Piccadilly project is still on track.
From the outset, the scheme has been beset with problems, due to the historical importance of the site, but developers say plans for a £100 to £150 million scheme, with the possibility of an extended Fenwicks, is almost ready for the consultation process.
And that would mean major, national retailers investing in the city centre.
The complex history of Castle Piccadilly should, perhaps, be seen as an exercise in lessons learned and it is reassuring to learn the developers are still forging ahead.
Their development would realise the potential of a somewhat neglected part of the city and is one that should be warmly welcomed.
We now look forward to the consultation process and discovering the exciting plans in store.
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