Plans have gone in to split up a well-known York retail venue to make way for a brand new Tesco store.
Site owner Legal and General Assurance has submitted a full planning application to City of York Council to alter, subdivide, and extend the B&Q store off Osbaldwick Link Road and Hull Road.
Under the proposals first floated in March, B&Q will remain on the site but will operate from a reduced footprint as part of the company’s “right-sizing” strategy.
The remaining space, combined with a new eastern extension built over the existing builders’ yard and service area, will be converted into a new Tesco food store featuring an in-store café, customer toilets, and a cash machine.
The 10-acre site has been home to the DIY giant for around 25 years.
It sits opposite the emerging Minster View housing development and just 500 metres north of the University of York campus.
The move comes 11 years after planning permission was granted for Sainsbury’s to take over the entire unit, but those plans were never implemented and subsequently lapsed.
Planning documents submitted with the new application argue that there is a long unmet demand for a large grocery store on the eastern side of York.
The applicant highlights that the nearest major supermarkets are currently 1.5 to 2.3 miles away at Foss Island and Monks Cross, leaving thousands of nearby residents without a large food store.
If approved, the redeveloped site will retain B&Q’s existing 68 jobs while creating roughly 150 new full- and part-time jobs at Tesco.
New road junction
B&Q plans to remain open and continue trading throughout the entire construction process.
The car park capacity will reduce from 546 spaces to 450. The changed car park will include 139 larger bays, dedicated parent and child spaces, EV charging points, Click & Collect bays, and a relocated spot for the long-standing mobile catering van.
Seventy cycle spaces will be provided, including dedicated cargo bike parking.
Traffic and access were key issues raised by local residents and businesses during pre-application public consultations.
To handle the extra traffic, developers propose installing a new signalised junction and a signalised toucan crossing at the main customer entrance off Osbaldwick Link Road.
To reduce the impact on neighbouring residents on Redbarn Drive, a 5m-high acoustic fence will be built around the proposed Tesco service yard, and delivery hours will be restricted.
The external appearance of the building will also be updated. The existing white and red brick structure will feature dark and light grey horizontal cladding bands alongside B&Q and Tesco branding.
Roof solar panels, electric heat pumps and rain gardens retrofitted into the car park islands are part of the sustainable approach to the development.
City of York Council planners will consider the application in the coming months.
You can read and comment on the planning application here.