Creating a new Build to Rent community rooted in York’s distinctive network of intimate yards and snickleways.
Client McLaren Regeneration
Project Role Architects
Scale 508 homes
Status Planning Approval
Cinder Yards forms part of Phase 1C of York Central, a major 45-hectare (110-acre) brownfield regeneration project representing approximately £2 billion of development investment. One of the largest regeneration projects in the UK, the wider masterplan is creating a new mixed-use city quarter on land surrounding York Station, reconnecting previously inaccessible parts of the city and delivering new homes, workplaces and public spaces.
York Central is being developed by a joint venture between McLaren Property and Arlington Real Estate, on behalf of majority landowners Homes England and Network Rail. Within this wider transformation, Cinder Yards will deliver 508 Build to Rent homes, alongside resident amenity, retail and a network of new public and private spaces designed to support a diverse community.
Plot F within the York Central Masterplan, Image courtesy of AAM
Reinterpreting York’s unique urban character
We were appointed to use our experience in the Build to Rent sector to reimagine the architectural proposals for the plot, while responding collaboratively to consultation with City of York Council to strengthen the experience of living in and moving through the neighbourhood.
The proposals draw inspiration from York’s historic urban grain. Enclosed yards, narrow snickleways and unexpected moments of discovery are reinterpreted to create a connected, walkable and distinctly local place.
We reshaped the layout to create clearer relationships between public, semi-private and resident spaces, introducing more generous landscaped courtyards, opportunities for play and gathering, and stronger pedestrian connections.
At street level, active retail and commercial frontages give Cinder Street a lively, civic character, while Hudson Boulevard and Wilton Lane adopt a quieter, more residential scale.
York's network of Yards and Snickleways
Ground Floor Schematic Layout
A series of moments that create a legible neighbourhood
Architecture and materiality help people find their way through the scheme. A varied palette of York-inspired brickwork is combined with green wayfinding accents, bronze aluminium and carefully articulated entrances, corners and thresholds to create a sequence of recognisable moments that break the building down into a legible, human scale streetscape that references York’s historic heritage.
A journey through Cinder Yards
A civic streetscape in response to the sites industrial heritage
View from George Square
Entering the Snickleway
Drawing people through the Yard
East along Cinder Street
Bookending Wilton Lane
Wilton Lane
Hudson Boulevard Corner
Hudson Boulevard Residential Rhythm
Amenity Pavilions at the heart of the Yards
At the heart of each yard, dedicated amenity pavilions create a focal point for residents and bring activity into the shared landscape. Designed with a deliberately different architectural language to the surrounding residential buildings, these smaller-scale structures introduce a more informal character within the courtyards.
Their prominent pitched roofs, glazed façades and warmer material palette give each pavilion its own identity, while opening onto terraces and landscaped spaces beyond. Home to shared lounges, co-working and social spaces, the pavilions encourage residents to move beyond their apartments, meet neighbours and make greater use of the yards—placing community and everyday interaction at the heart of the development.
Pavilion Concept Diagrams
Plot F4 Amenity Pavilion
Plot F3 Landscape Pavilion
Improving efficiency as well as experience
Alongside this placemaking focus, we rationalised apartment layouts, structure and floor-to-floor heights to improve efficiency and buildability. The revised proposals increase the number of homes while reducing the overall building area, supported by a refreshed Build to Rent resident amenity and operational strategy.
Human scale homes on Hudson Boulevard
A connected neighbourhood that is distinctly York
The result is a more legible, efficient and people-focused neighbourhood — one that balances the commercial and operational requirements of Build to Rent with generous amenity, stronger connections and a character shaped by York’s rich heritage.
From the network of streets and snickleways to the shared yards and amenity pavilions, the proposals put everyday resident experience at the centre: creating more opportunities to meet, move, linger and feel part of a wider community while strengthening the project’s efficiency and long-term viability.
“York Central is a fantastic opportunity to transform derelict brownfield land into thousands of new homes, jobs, and green spaces, giving more people the chance to live and work in this great city. By unlocking one of the biggest regeneration projects in the country, we’re turning years of talk into action to drive growth in every region, raise living standards and build the homes communities desperately need.”
Housing Secretary
