York Racecourse has submitted a planning application to transform the area of the racecourse which lies to the south of the Knavesmire Stand.

This £5m investment will see improvements in facilities for racing fans with additional lawns, seating, catering outlets, toilets, bars, betting facilities and big screens, all landscaped to reflect the summer nature of the venue.

The ability to follow races live from both the Bustardthorpe Stand and Knavesmire Stand will be retained.

The vision is to create racegoer lawns beneath a high-level canopy, similar to the John Carr canopy which has been keeping racegoers at the Northern End of the venue dry since 2015.

Extensions and improvements to the food and drinks on offer, toilet facilities, betting and screen viewing also form part of the plan. In addition, back of house facilities for the raceday team, which can be up to 1,500 strong, are being transformed.

Highlights of the scheme include:

•  Refurbishing and better presenting the 1913 Bustardthorpe Stand, which offers live viewing of the racing;
•  Replacing the existing 1950’s single-storey extension to the rear of the Bustardthorpe Stand, with a high-quality extension to compliment the work of famous York architect, Walter Brierley;
•  An improved Theakston’s Bar, William Hill betting shop, toilet facilities and food outlets;
•  The creation of two new racegoer lawns with an overarching canopy similar to that covering the John Carr Terrace;
•  A better arrival experience, including refurbished entrance with feature gateway and enhanced accessibility;
•  Landscaping continuing York Racecourse’s award-winning flowers, indigenous hedges and tree planting;
•  Conversion of the temporary Roberto Village Bar facilities into a permanent feature building offering food, bar and betting;
•  Environmental and sustainability features designed throughout, including solar panels, rainwater harvesting, green living roof and infrastructure to support the Racecourse’s recycling initiatives – all in support of York’s “Green Knavesmire 300” Environmental Strategy to be net zero by 2040.

The aim of the scheme is to further improve the experience for racegoers, visitors and the York team, the scheme is not about growing attendance.

This scheme, developed by Yorkshire firm Dawson Williamson Architects, is to improve the facilities for York’s Grandstand and Paddock racegoers following recent multimillion pound schemes to improve the experience for both the County Stand racegoer in the Northern End Development (2014-15) and Clocktower Enclosure (2018).

Subject to planning approval, it is intended that the new Southern End Development      would be open for the busy days in the 2024 season. Mindful of both new and old neighbours, a full plan will be developed with a trusted local contractor to best manage the site traffic and delivery of the development.

William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course, said: “The York Race Committee have a clear vision to ensure York remains one of the world’s best racecourses and it has a track record of investing in the facilities, race programme and visitor experience.

“This latest chapter aims to improve the facilities for racegoers in the Grandstand and Paddock area, following similar recent investments elsewhere. As a summer venue, we want to provide lawns to enjoy, however we are mindful of the Yorkshire weather so we are looking to repeat the success of the canopy that sits above the John Carr Terrace.

“Practical concerns around a better arrival experience, more toilets and easier access to both food and drinks and how we better support our raceday team, all form part of this ambitious scheme.

“Having launched our Green Knavesmire 300 Environmental Strategy earlier this year, this application embeds key sustainability aspects, notably solar panels, green roofs and rainwater harvesting. Of course, it remains subject to the proper planning process, however we are keen to deliver these improvements for the busy racedays of 2024.”

Visitors to Hull city centre will soon be able to enjoy a taste of both France and Taiwan thanks to Levelling Up Funding (LUF). Crepes & Bubbles Whitefriargate Limited will receive £101,800 for the proposed conversion of a redundant unit to open as a takeaway food and beverage shop selling crepes and bubble tea. The funding, from monies awarded to Hull City Council in 2021 by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), will help to bring back into use 33 Whitefriargate which has stood empty since 2021 when it was vacated by Thorntons. It will aid Crepes & Bubbles to purchase business support equipment such as fridges and freezers and electronic menus, as well as installing preparation stations. There will also be the creation of a new customer counter, internal and external decoration and the remodelling of stud wall partitioning. The project is also predicted to create seven full-time equivalent jobs. Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “This is an exciting project and one that will no doubt be popular in the city centre. “Having stood empty since 2021, 33 Whitefriargate is in a fantastic location and Crepes & Bubbles will be a brilliant addition to the Old Town. “LUF has already supported many hospitality businesses and I look forward to seeing another one completed.”

Hull city centre’s nighttime and hospitality sector has received a huge boost courtesy of Levelling Up Funding. A grant of £750,000 has been awarded to Tokyo Industries (Yorkshire) Ltd, trading as Iron Lilies, bringing a new late-night bar and restaurant. The funding is from monies awarded to Hull City Council in 2021 by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Iron Lilies will occupy the former Virgin Megastore on Level 2 of Princes Quay Shopping Centre which has stood vacant for a decade. The funding will also help to create 19 full-time equivalent jobs, as well as bringing back into use large, vacant floor space. Other proposed works include installation of new toilets and a commercial kitchen, creation of a bar, purchasing furniture, fixtures and fittings, as well as fitting out sound, alarm and camera systems. Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “Levelling Up Funding has already helped to bring huge improvements and unlock great potential in our city centre. “This is a significant investment to what is an exciting project which will provide a boost to Princes Quay and the wider area’s evening economy.”

North Lincolnshire Council’s plans to use Government cash to help Scunthorpe schools go green and reduce their energy bills has moved to its next stage with the creation of a community share offer. Working with renewable energy company Energy4All, the council is inviting residents to invest in the crowdfunding-style scheme, with a minimum investment of just £50 at an expected annual interest rate of five per cent. The money will be used to extend the work being achieved with £1.4m of Government Towns Fund  to fit schools with solar panels free of charge. The scheme aims to raise another £680,000 for more schools and community buildings a community benefit society has been set up called North Lincolnshire Community Energy. It will run the community share offer, which is open now until 15 September, or when it is fully subscribed, whatever is sooner. Schools and community buildings get the solar panels at no charge, and pay the society for the energy they use at heavily reduced rates – the initial rate is 9.9p/kWh. Any profits generated by the society will be ploughed back into other green initiatives in North Lincolnshire. Cllr Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is an incredible scheme that will enable schools to future-proof their energy needs – it will bring down bills at a critical time. “We are working in partnership with renewable energy company Energy4All to deliver this scheme through North Lincolnshire Community Energy. This is a positive way people can invest in the green economy and earn a good return.”

The NFU is seeking views about proposals to cut red tape in the planning system that could mean farmers and landowners will be able to build, convert and extend more without needing planning permission.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has recently launched a consultation on a massive expansion to permitted development rights. The NFU says the changes are the culmination of promises made in the Unleashing Rural Opportunity Paper as well as promises made by the Prime Minister in the Farm to Fork Summit on relaxing planning regulations. The proposals will allow farmers, landowners, and rural communities to build, convert, and extend more without having to obtain planning permission. The proposals include permitted development right expansions for:

• barn to housing conversions
• the extension and erection of warehousing
• farm diversification
• farm buildings.

The NFU is seeking member views on the proposed changes to permitted development rights. Comments will help inform NFU policy and standing to the proposals. It has an online form on its web site.

Beautiful buildings and stylish structures have got designs on success after being shortlisted in the Leeds Architecture Awards scheme being run for the first time since 2019. The awards are a collaboration between Leeds Civic Trust, Leeds Society of Architects, Leeds City Council and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). More than 50 entries were received across five categories – cultural projects, new buildings (up to £10m in value), new buildings (more than £10m in value), altered buildings and public realm & landscape, from which a shortlist of 15 has been announced, with the winners to be revealed at a ceremony at the Howard Assembly Room on November 1. Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure, said:“Leeds has a proud heritage of design excellence, and the architects of today are doing a fine job of maintaining that tradition in interesting and inclusive ways. “The shortlisted buildings, public spaces and projects are all playing their part in making our city a distinctive, thought-provoking, environmentally-friendly and welcoming place to live, work, visit and spend time. Congratulations to everyone involved.” Luke Sach, co-president of Leeds Society of Architects, said: “The Leeds Society of Architects are honoured to be involved with this year’s Leeds Architecture Awards, helping to celebrate the very best projects, which over the last few years have positively contributed to Leeds’s ever-evolving architectural landscape. “Thank you to everyone who submitted entries, we’re thrilled to have seen such a large number of high-quality applications. A huge congratulations to all the projects shortlisted and best of luck on November 1.” The shortlisted schemes and architects are: Cultural Projects Leeds Playhouse: Page\Park: This much-loved city centre theatre has been transformed by a reconfiguration and extension of the existing building, with a new frontage – featuring brightly-coloured ceramics – being created on St Peter’s Street. Extra seating capacity and improvements to access have also been delivered in the site’s two main performance spaces. Leeds School of Arts: Hawkins\Brown: Situated on Portland Street in the city centre, this building provides a state-of-the-art hub for more than 2,500 students and staff from Leeds Beckett University’s departments of film, music, performing arts and creative technologies. The building’s mix of interconnected spaces is designed to encourage collaboration and showcase the talents of all those who use it. WOW Barn: LEEDS 2023 and The WOW Foundation: The WOW Barn is an accessible, inclusive pop-up space that was built by 300 women, girls and non-binary people over the course of just 24 hours at Cinder Moor, Woodhouse, earlier this year as part of the LEEDS 2023 cultural celebrations. Kirkstall Valley Farm has since been announced as the barn’s long-term home. Buildings (up to £10m in value) Maggie’s Yorkshire Centre, St James’s Hospital: Heatherwick Studio: This cancer support centre was opened by the Maggie’s charity in 2020. The building was constructed using a prefabricated and sustainably-sourced spruce timber system. Inside, a mix of natural and tactile materials, soft lighting and variety of spaces all encourage social opportunities as well as quiet contemplation. Young People’s Cabin, St Gemma’s Hospice: ArkleBoyce Architects: Sitting in the gardens of St Gemma’s Hospice in Moortown, the Young People’s Cabin is a sustainable building designed with the needs of bereaved children in mind. The concept for the project included a roof that would not only provide a protective canopy but also reference the surrounding trees and other relaxing greenery. Newlyn Building, University of Leeds: dla architecture: A teaching hub for the Leeds University Business School, this two and three-storey building sits in the heart of Little Woodhouse. Its design draws on the surrounding Victorian context, with external elevations constructed in complementary brick and supplemented by timber cladding. The building has a light and airy feel inside, thanks in part to its dual aspect larger teaching rooms. Buildings (more than £10m in value) 11 & 12 Wellington Place: tp Bennett: Hailed as one of the UK’s most sustainable office developments, 11 & 12 Wellington Place’s design elements include a distinctive bridge and striking metallic bronze facades that mirror the stonework pattern of an adjacent Grade II-listed railway lifting tower. Situated between Wellington Street and Whitehall Road in the city centre, the buildings run entirely on renewable electricity. Sir William Henry Bragg Building, University of Leeds: ADP Architecture: This seven-storey glass-and-steel complex off Woodhouse Lane is home to the University of Leeds’s Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Its high-tech teaching rooms and laboratories have been designed to further establish the university as a world-leading research centre, while also providing a welcoming, accessible and modern gateway into campus. Globe Point: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios: This striking ‘flat iron’-style office development sits on Globe Road, at one of the key entrance points to the South Bank’s Temple neighbourhood. Designed to provide next generation workspace for more than 400 people, the building makes maximum use of natural daylight while also offering spectacular views across the city from its roof gardens. Altered buildings The Majestic: dla architecture: One of Leeds city centre’s best-known buildings, this Grade II-listed former cinema and nightclub has been transformed into a stylish mix of offices and other workspace. The reinvention of the City Square landmark – now home to Channel 4 – took care to preserve and enhance its existing external fabric while also drawing inspiration from the grandeur of the original interior. First White Cloth Hall: Buttress: This project on Kirkgate in the city centre has poured fresh life into one of Leeds’s most historic buildings. The former cloth trading hall spent many years in a state of disrepair but has now been brought back into use as a commercial, co-creation and innovation space, with surviving elements of the original brick and stone walls being conserved and incorporated into its new internal structure. Opera North’s Music Works: Enjoy Design: Music Works has given New Briggate and Harrison Street an extra cultural dimension with the opening of the Howard Opera Centre, complete with facilities such as an education studio, tuition rooms and orchestra rehearsal space. A dedicated box office and public atrium have also been incorporated into Opera North’s Howard Assembly Room. Public realm & landscape Leeds Footbridge: Gagarin Studio: This 50-metre-long bridge straddles the River Aire and connects two different parts of the South Bank’s Climate Innovation District. The bridge’s concertina-style appearance was achieved through the use of steel slats which appear to fold and crank across its length, providing an eye-catching point of sculptural interest for those moving over or passing below it. Stourton Park and Ride: Mott MacDonald: The UK’s first solar-powered park and ride facility, this clean and green site is home to 1,200 vehicle spaces, electric car charging points and a smart energy grid. A solar canopy powers the terminal building, which is served by a fleet of zero-emission electric buses. Extensive landscaping and tree-planting complete the site’s eco-friendly feel. Playhouse Gardens: re-form landscape architecture: These terraced gardens are a gateway to a part of the city centre that is home to landmarks such as Leeds Playhouse and Leeds City College’s Quarry Hill campus. Pathways, steps and seating ledges have been created via the high-quality detailing of hard landscape materials, with the space being softened through the incorporation of a number of native and ornamental trees.