McDonald’s was blocked from moving in to an empty shop in York for being unhealthy.
Now it could be taken over by… Greggs.
The famous bakery has applied to open a new bakery on Fulford Road — at the same unit where McDonald’s was famously blocked less than two years ago.
It has submitted a planning application to City of York Council seeking permission to fit out the former Iceland supermarket that has stood empty since October 2023.
The plans include alterations to the shopfront, the installation of air conditioning equipment to the rear of the building, and advertisement consent for new Greggs signage – including a double-sided totem sign in the chain’s trademark branding.
The unit is part of the same retail block next to Aldi that drew controversy in 2024, when McDonald’s applied to turn it into a 110-cover restaurant and takeaway.
More than 3,100 people signed a petition against it.
The application was refused by the council, largely on health grounds. Being close to Fulford School, Danesgate Community School and York Steiner School, the new McDonald’s would have gone against planning objectives “to promote healthy communities and help tackle the scourge of childhood obesity”.
Greggs’ application is different. Because a bakery falls under the same Class E planning category as the previous retail use, planning documents argue that no change of use permission is technically required — the application is really about the shopfront works, the signage and the plant equipment.
The proposed opening hours would be Monday to Saturday, 6am to 7pm, and Sunday, 8am to 6pm.
The site sits partially within the Fulford Road Conservation Area and close to two Grade II Listed Buildings – Fulford Cross, which dates back to 1484, and the Imphal Barracks Keep on the eastern side of Fulford Road.
The planning documents argue the changes are minor enough to preserve the character of the area, with all plant equipment tucked discreetly at the rear.
A noise impact assessment concludes that, with appropriate mitigation measures in place, the equipment should meet the council’s requirements with a low likelihood of any adverse noise impact.
Permission to add new entrance doors with glazed screens, a window to front, and service doors at the building was granted in March.
The application states: “Investment into this part of York should be welcomed, particularly where visual improvements to the area are to be made, enhancing and improving the vitality and viability of this existing, minor retail area.”
You can read and comment on the planning application here.
