A £4m scheme to develop eight high-quality sustainable townhouses on a disused yard behind 31 Walmgate, York, the former Lord Nelson Inn, will be submitted to City of York Council in the next few weeks.
The plan, being drawn up by local property developer, Northminster Ltd, owner of Northminster Business Park, also includes redeveloping the former pub, which lies empty, into two adjoining homes, one with three-bedrooms and the other with four, with a private secure courtyard.
Northminster Ltd is finalising the proposed scheme after acquiring the third-of-an-acre site, from Matbo Ltd, Escrick, York, last autumn. The property had a £1m asking price.
Each of the homes, designed for Northminster Ltd by COG Architecture, Leeds, will meet the latest sustainability requirements and will meet an A energy performance certificate rating. Features will include roof-mounted solar-thermal heating and innovative roof terraces giving panoramic views over the city centre. There will also be private parking and gardens.
Inside, the family homes will have ground floor wcs and shower rooms, a sizeable utility room and a flexible space which could be used as a bedroom, garden room or study which will open onto a private patio and garden area.
The first floor will have an open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room featuring a smokeless fuel stove, while the second floor will have a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and a second bedroom with separate house bathroom. The top floor will have a master suite which opens onto the roof terrace.
Northminster Ltd development surveyor, Alastair Gill, says: “This is a run-down site which will benefit from an attractive, high-quality housing scheme at a time when the region needs more homes.
“As well as being sustainable from a design and construction perspective, the homes will be close to city centre amenities, reducing dependence on transport. The scheme is designed to to appeal to families who want to live and work in the city centre or people down-sizing from nearby villages who want to embrace city living.”
Robin Parker of COG Architecture, says: “The new homes are intended to be adaptable, multi-use family houses providing generous accommodation in a tight urban location and we hope that, if approved, they will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of this area.”
Northminster Ltd says that, if City of York planners back the scheme, construction work will start this summer and the homes will be ready in spring 2015.