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Coney Street Riverside

A new riverside destination in the heart of York

York, UK

Gillespies is delivering a public realm that will transform Coney Street into a vibrant, welcoming destination—creatively reconnecting York’s historic high street with its riverside setting.

Reconnecting York with its River

The regeneration of Coney Street represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconnect York’s historic high street with its riverfront. Once a thriving commercial street, the area has struggled in recent years due to underinvestment, declining footfall, and limited access to the River Ouse, despite York welcoming over 8 million visitors annually.

Led by the Hemsley Group, the vision is to breathe new life into Coney Street, transforming underused and fragmented plots into a lively mixed-use quarter that supports retail, student living and cultural activity.

The proposals for the redevelopment of Coney Street Zones 2, 3, and 4 include the partial demolition of existing structures and a comprehensive redevelopment that combines the conversion of retained buildings with new-build elements. The scheme will deliver commercial, business, and service space (Use Class E), purpose-built student accommodation (Sui Generis), and significant public realm improvements—including a new riverside walkway, landscaping, and improved access. Zone 1 is being brought forward as a separate project.

Gillespies is leading the landscape and public realm design for Zones 3 and 4 of the Coney Street Riverside project. The vision is to create inclusive, high-quality public spaces that promote social interaction, activity, civic pride, and long-term investment—ultimately shaping a place that people want to spend time in. The proposals introduce new pedestrian-friendly spaces along the River Ouse, reconnecting the riverside with Coney Street and enriching the city centre experience.

The public realm strategy addresses a range of complex site challenges, including a 4-metre level change between Coney Street and the riverfront, flood risk, and a historically sensitive urban setting. The design responds with a carefully integrated network of accessible routes and public spaces that bridge these physical and contextual constraints. Informed by detailed flood modelling, the riverfront public realm is set at 11.32 metres AOD (1% AEP plus 50% climate change allowance), establishing a consistent and resilient ground level along the water’s edge.

Project details

Title

Coney Street Riverside

Client

The Helmsley Group

Status

Planning Granted

Project team

The Helmsley Group, Brown & Company, O'Neil Associates, Montagu Evans, SCP Transport, Aspect 4 and Jane Simpson Access

Gillespies team

Tom Walker, Jon Freeman, Zehra Ozmen

Photography

Brown & Company