It’s been talked about for years. But a vision to turn the area around Clifford’s Tower into a green oasis has finally been given the go-ahead.
City of York Council’s planning committee approved plans to transform the Castle car park into a park and play space at a meeting last night (Thursday).
It also includes a new circular path around Clifford’s Tower and riverside walkway.
The decision – by six votes to four with two abstentions – came after a meeting lasting two hours and 25 minutes.
And it followed an emotional appeal that the scheme’s memorial to the Medieval Jewish massacre at the tower is inadequate.
David Staniland, agent for the council, told the committee the transformative project aimed to strike the balance of meeting the needs and aspirations of different people in a sensitive way.
But Lilian Coulson, of the York Liberal Jewish Community, said their call for a Peace Garden to mark the massacre of Jews at the site in 1190 had been ignored.
The decision comes ahead of the closure of the 298-space Castle Car Park next spring to make way for the scheme.
A total of 30 Blue Badge spaces will be retained as part of the project.
The car park is set to be replaced by an area dubbed The Castle Gardens.
The area will include The Swathe, an area of seasonal planting to represent the moat which was once at the site of York Castle.
It will also include Castlegate Garden marking the historic entrance to the fortress and feature sculptural walls in a nod to the site’s history.
An 1190 Memorial Space will commemorate the up to 150 Jews who died while seeking refuge in the keep of York Castle from a mob surrounding them below.
It features seating next to The Swathe planting area.
A radial walkway will also run around the base of the mound that Clifford’s Tower sits on top of.
The scheme is set to cost an estimated £9.934 million.
The cost includes hostile vehicle measures and £200,000-worth of improvements to Coppergate Multi-Storey Car Park planned to make up for the loss of the Castle site.
Council agent Mr Staniland said the plans, which were a revised version of ones first submitted in 2022, had been warmly-anticipated.
The agent said: “This will transform Castle Car Park into a high-quality public realm and garden space which will provide opportunities for recreation, active travel and it improves the setting of a number of designated heritage assets.
“It will create an amenity in the heart of the city centre with space for play, quiet reflection and group activities.
“This proposal has been years in the making, they’ve been updated, revised and developed through extensive consultation with stakeholders.”
But concerns about the planned 1190 Memorial Space have been raised by the York Liberal Jewish Community, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and English Heritage.
In a statement read to the committee, the Board said Clifford’s Tower held national and international significance for the Jewish community.
Dr Jeremy Ashbee, head of curator of properties at English Heritage which manages Clifford’s Tower, said the planned 1190 Memorial Space was wholly inadequate.
Ms Coulson, of the York Liberal Jewish Community, told councillors on Thursday the creation of a Peace Garden for all at the site would leave a wonderful legacy.
She added any space marking the 1190 pogrom needed to be able to host around 40 people who gather for a yearly commemoration event at Clifford’s Tower.
Ms Coulson said: “The plans need to be amended to include an 1190 Memorial Garden that’s a proper reflective space where people can quietly think and school and tour groups can learn about Clifford’s Tower and its history.
“This should all be provided in a designated landscaped space where people can sit overlooking Clifford’s Tower away from the children’s play area.
“A radial walkway has no Jewish significance at all and it’s not suitable for the disabled, would we all walk around in a circle rather than sitting and listening?”
Tina Funnell, chair of the York Interfaith Group, said they also supported having a Peace Garden that truly represents the values the city claims to uphold.
Disability rights activist Flick Williams, who also spoke at the meeting, said she welcomed keeping 30 Blue Badge spaces at the site.
But she added disabled people should not be left without parking spaces during construction and councillors approved a condition calling for arrangements to be made for them.
Labour’s Cllr Jonny Crawshaw, the committee’s chair, said talks about how best to use the space could continue following approval of the plans.
Speaking following the meeting, Ms Coulson told the Local Democracy Reporing Service (LDRS) she hoped those discussions could begin soon.
