The demolition of a vacant former York care home to make way for new affordable homes has been approved.
City of York Council’s plans are set to see Willow House, in Long Lane Close near Walmgate, torn down along with garages and a storage building.
Council planning officers stated the public benefit of removing an empty 1970s building of no architectural merit outweighed the minor degree of harm to the area.
Plans stated it would see buildings unsympathetic to the neighbouring city walls removed while improving views and allowing the land to be put to better use.
The demolition comes as plans have been lodged for 36 new affordable homes on the site.
One and two-bedroom homes set to be offered at social rents and on shared ownership deals would be built on the site to energy-efficient Passivhaus standards if plans are approved.
The two-storey care home, built in 1975, is empty and in a poor state of repair.
Archeological digs and field work was done at the site from 2021 to last year, with historic activity in the wider Walmgate area going back as far as the Romans.
Medieval and 19th Century structures have been found below the Willow House site itself.
Human remains from burials at the Medieval St Peter-le-Willows church which no longer survives were found when the care home was first built.
A council report stated the demolition would provide an opportunity to uncover more of the site’s archaeological significance.
But it added deposits could be disturbed during the works and they would need to be monitored and either preserved or if that is not feasible excavated.
Plans for the proposed home on the site stated they would create a new neighbourhood which would provide much-needed affordable housing in York.
They come as part of the council’s aim of building affordable home schemes on land the authority owns which is set aside for housing.
They stated: “The proposed development at Willow House forms part of a wider programme across multiple sites throughout the city, aiming to deliver 600 new homes.
“This programme seeks to create a wide-reaching legacy for the city which builds on York’s rich history as a housing pioneer, developing treasured homes in green and healthy neighbourhoods.
“The development at Willow House contributes to an overall vision for housing
delivery.”
The demolition and the new homes come as part of the wider South Walmgate Masterplan which received £250,000 of council funding in January.
Proposals drawn up by Mikhail Riches include pavement resurfacing, pocket parks, tree planting, communal food-growing areas and measures to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Some pedestrian cut through routes deemed to be trouble spots would be closed and a communal garden stewardship scheme allowing residents to manage shared areas is also proposed.
There are also plans for public art and to improve the parade of shops in Walmgate itself.
