Shipping container venue has lease extended

A street food venue created out of shipping containers has been granted an extension to its lease.

SPARK:York, which first opened in Piccadilly in 2018, has been given permission to remain on the site until 2030.

The venue is home to a number of independent food and drink outlets as well as being used to host community events.

Tom McKenzie, co-founder and managing director said the lease extension was a "huge relief" and would provide reassurance to businesses and community groups based on the site.

"This medium-term certainty means we're finally able to properly reinvest in the venue and make improvements we've been talking about for years," he said, citing previous funding challenges due to the short term nature of the previous leases.

"No bank or funder will support major investment because we can't demonstrate the ability to repay a loan."

The Piccadilly site was once home to a trolleybus shed, an aviation factory in 1931 and then a garage, but had been empty for 20 years from the mid-1990s.

McKenzie said SPARK:York may relocate after 2030, to city-centre development York Central, adding that they were also exploring further projects in Doncaster, Hull and London.

During a City of York Council meeting to discuss the extension, some of the site's neighbours raised concerns about noise levels.

One said they "wore earplugs to get to sleep", council documents said, while another said the site would generate more revenue as a car park.

Other concerns were raised about permission for the site being granted on a temporary basis, but extended multiple times.

However, the proposal was approved on the basis that the use of the land was consistent with policy, public benefits would outweigh any potential harms and conditions about noise levels would ensure it was not unduly detrimental to locals.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.