Optimism From York BID

Yesterday, York BID held its annual general meeting at the Principal York Hotel Events Centre.

The York Business Improvement District (BID) is a not-for-profit, independent organisation that works on behalf of local businesses to deliver key investments and economic growth for York City Centre. Among the speakers was Labour's David Skaith, who was elected as the first ever mayor for York and North Yorkshire in May and has vowed to champion the region and bring a host of benefits to residents and businesses. He leads the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. He is originally from Harrogate and now runs his own business in York.

Mayor Skaith gave an overview of his early days in office and his ambitions for supporting high streets across York & North Yorkshire. He explained that the past two months since his election had flown by, but with the interruption of a general election, he felt he was just starting.

He outlined the priorities for the Combined Authority, which he summarised as supporting small businesses and high streets throughout the county and bringing people back into the towns, the coast, and the City of York. He mentioned the meeting in No. 10 with the new Prime Minister and the elected mayors earlier in the week, stating that Prime Minister Starmer views the elected mayors' goal as delivering on local plans.

Skaith asked the businesspeople in the audience and the wider local community to write to him with ideas and suggestions for the Combined Authority to consider, and he explained that he is in the process of forming a business board to fully represent business and the economy in York and North Yorkshire.

His presentation was short and sweet, but it’s early days, and the audience seemed prepared to wait for a more detailed account when he has had more time to settle into this new role.

Next, Andrew Lowson, Executive Director, York BID, spoke about the business environment in York. He described how retail and leisure have been having a tough time, following on from COVID, recent poor weather, and, in particular, the high cost of borrowing. He showed a number of charts and graphs that were generally quite worrying but gave a glimmer of hope when describing how, following the last five general elections, there has been a bounce in growth and, fingers crossed, this will be repeated.

He was optimistic that consumer confidence is returning and that there are positive signs ahead.

The next speaker was Allan Cook, the founder of Arlington Real Estate, who, along with McLaren, is a developer at York Central Development.

York Central Development is a project to transform underutilised land into residential neighbourhoods, cultural spaces, and a high-quality commercial quarter in the heart of York. The Central Development Area will retain existing buildings such as the National Railway Museum, private housing, and businesses. The rail industry has historically occupied the rest of the site, leaving it largely underutilized. York Railway Station is part of the development, and the front is being transformed to create a new and improved gateway to the city.

Cook gave a presentation of the big projects he has managed, predominantly in the County Durham area, including a 110-acre project in Durham itself. He sought to display their credentials for this massive project, which he described as one of the largest schemes of its type in Europe.

York Central spans 112 acres and is expected to build 2,500 homes, with more than 20% affordable housing and 1,200,000 square feet of commercial space. The first phase is planned to be delivered in 2026, although the entire scheme is estimated to take until 2035.

Phase One includes the revamped York Station, a new public square with access to an upgraded National Railway Museum, a 200-bed hotel, housing, and commercial space.

The final speaker was BID Operations Manager Carl Alsop, who gave a comprehensive overview of the last year and the plans for the current year of the Business Improvement District organisation. BID has partnered with over 40 public, private, and third-sector organisations to support the development of York.

He explained how the Street Rangers and Cleaners improve York's residents and visitors' experiences. He announced that York has once again received the Purple Flag status. Purple Flag is an independent accreditation process similar to the Green Flag award for parks and the Blue Flag for beaches. It leads to Purple Flag status for town and city centres that meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night time economies.

BID has plans for promotional campaigns to showcase York’s retail, dining, and experiences, including theatres, museums, and attractions like the Jorvik Viking Centre.

There are advanced plans for the Winter Lights, the Christmas Market, and generally tidying up the streets and gardens to enhance the York experience for locals and visitors alike.

The presentations ended with a short, but informative, Q&A session before the business of the formal AGM started, followed by networking and drinks to bring the proceedings to a close.