The owners of a former car park are looking to reopen it – but the transport lead on City of York Council has objected to the plan.
Foss Argo Developments Ltd, the company behind proposals to redevelop the former stores at Foss Bank in York, wants to reopen what used to be Sainsbury’s car park there.
To do that, the company needs a certificate to say that the car park was in general use, and not just used by Sainsbury’s shoppers.
It has provided evidence that it was, including a declaration by a York resident who parked there and didn’t use the store.
Sainsbury’s Foss Bank store closed in January 2025, and the car park hasn’t been used since then. But the City of York Council-run Foss Bank car park underneath is still operating.
Two councillors, including Cllr Kate Ravilious, the executive member for transport, have objected to plans to reopen Sainsbury’s car park.
In her objection Cllr Ravilious says the site was only granted planning permission to be used for parking by shoppers at Sainsbury’s and the adjacent Go Outdoors store.
She writes: “There is no evidence for a shortage of car parking in the area (in fact the contrary is true, with the council’s Foss Bank car park almost continuously with spare capacity).
“The application for a public car park in a central location is counter to York’s Local Plan which prioritises the need for housing.
“The application for a public car park in a central location is counter to the council plan and the local transport strategy, both of which contain the objective to reduce the amount of vehicle traffic on York’s roads (by 20% by 2030), increase use of sustainable modes of travel (increasing bus travel by 50% by 2030 and increasing walking and cycling by 100% by 2030).”
Fellow Labour councillor Dave Merrett, who represents the Guildhall ward, raises precisely the same objections. However, the Guildhall planning planel supports the reopening of the car park.
York Civic Trust also objects. It says reopening the Sainsbury’s car park to all drivers would mean “encouraging additional car trips into the city centre, and undermining efforts to prioritise sustainable modes of travel in accordance with the transport hierarchy, which places private car use at the bottom”.
Last year Argo Real Estate Ltd and Fusion Group revealed their plan for the site. This included student accommodation, around 175 flats and commercial space.
