Work is starting to prepare the former Willow House site in Walmgate, ready for building 36 Council homes early next year.
Planning permission was granted earlier this year for the 100% affordable home development at 60% social rent and 40% shared ownership.
The housing sits alongside a £1 million investment to enhance the area inside Walmgate Bar which will reshape public open spaces to encourage community use and tackle anti-social behaviour.
To prepare the housing site, the Council’s contractor F Parkinson Ltd will securely fence off the area. Their preparation work includes demolishing the former Willow House care home and a neighbouring garage block with dust and debris controls in place.
Work will take place between Monday to Thursday 7:30am–4pm and Friday 7:30am-3pm, with no works on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
F Parkinson Ltd will aim to minimise disruption to local residents, and is writing to residents to keep them updated.
Residents can meet them and council officers and ask questions at three ‘meet the contractor’ drop-in events:
- Thursday 1 October, 1-4pm at York Explore Hungate Reading Cafe, Ground Floor, Bellerby Court, Hungate, York YO1 7AF
- Wednesday 7 October, 3:30-5:30pm and 6:30-7pm. Both drop-ins are at Show Space, 1st Floor, Spark on 17-21 Piccadilly YO1 9PB. The 6:30-7pm session will form part of the Guildhall ward meeting when information on Willow House and the Walmgate Improvement Plan will be shared alongside other regeneration projects.
All are welcome to come along.
When the social rent and shared ownership affordable homes are completed, they will be let in line with the Council’s local lettings policy.
This will mean letting to existing York residents on the housing waiting list, including to those council tenants opting to downsize and free up their existing homes for bigger households, and potentially also to those already living in Council or social housing nearby.
Find out more about Willow House at https://www.york.gov.uk/housing/new-housing-delivery-project/6