Plans to transform eyesore into apartments

A NOTORIOUS eyesore, described by national architecture critics as '˜sheer visual misery', could be transformed into apartments and shops if plans are given the go-ahead.
Oakgate Group has submitted plans to City of York Council to transform Stonebow House into apartments and shopsOakgate Group has submitted plans to City of York Council to transform Stonebow House into apartments and shops
Oakgate Group has submitted plans to City of York Council to transform Stonebow House into apartments and shops

Wetherby-based Oakgate Group has submitted plans to the City of York Council which will radically change the appearance of Stonebow House and enhance the eastern gateway to the city centre.

Oakgate has bought the long leasehold of the 1960s brutalist building from the joint LPA receivers of Brightsea SARL for an undisclosed sum.

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The redevelopment will see the upper floors converted into 20 luxury apartments, while on the lower floors much of the concrete will be removed. Space will be opened up and the building will be fully refurbished for modern commercial use.

There will also be approximately 31,500 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including shops, cafes and restaurants. The current tenants, including Heron Foods and Corals Bookmakers, will be moving out.

Richard France, managing director of Oakgate, said: “This is a key gateway site into York city centre. With the opening of the impressive new Hiscox building, the new boutique Moxy Hotel and the Hungate residential development progressing, it is the missing piece in the redevelopment jigsaw for this part of York.”

Stonebow House was built in 1964, following York’s slum clearance programme, and designed by Wells, Hickman and Partners.