Shaping the future through open conversations
Helen Graham Introduction Our previous blog shared the feedback received on the draft open brief revisions. This blog updates on progress relating to the design of the 1190 Memorial Space. Spatial design principles The council’s team have revised the spatial specification for the 1190 Memorial Space to deliver a larger area that provides sufficient seating and standing … Read more
On 17th February 2026 we shared draft revisions to our Open Brief for New Public Spaces in the Castle & Eye of York. We gathered feedback via the website, facebook and email. The quotes within this blog reflect comments from individuals in response to the proposed revisions. The feedback affirms the draft revisions and no … Read more
New Public Spaces Open Brief: Revisions related to remembering 1190 February 2026 The New Public Spaces Open Brief for the Castle Gateway area originally framed questions of reflection related to 1190 and Last Drop in the following way: Thinking, praying, saying the Mourner’s Kaddish and ‘facing the history of 1190’ in a place that is … Read more
New Public Spaces Open Brief: Revisions related to remembering 1190 February 2026 In the run up to Planning Committee in December 2025 a number of interested groups including English Heritage, York Liberal Jewish Community, Dr Hampson from University of York Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture, York Interfaith Group and York Civic Trust … Read more
On 4 November the Council’s Executive will receive an update report on the Castle & Eye of York project and the next steps and decisions required to progress to delivery. Earlier this year amendments to the planning submission were published with ambitious plans for the regeneration of the area. This is now working its way through the … Read more
1. Introduction Amendments to the existing pending planning application (dated 2022) have now been submitted for new public spaces and blue badge parking at the current Castle Car Park and the Eye of York. 1. Recap In November 2023 the City of York Council Executive re-aligned the scheme with the new council’s priorities. Their recommendations were for: … Read more
It’s now eight years on since My Castle Gateway launched in 2017. It was born out of conversations between Andy Kerr, then CYC project manager and Phil Bixby and Helen Graham where we shared a hope that public engagement could be something better than tick boxes and disappointment. Since then My Castle Gateway has evolved … Read more
The Streetlife project and its focus on Coney Street as an historic high street facing multiple challenges was the perhaps slightly unlikely starting point for a project about York’s mediaeval Jewish communities. Research and engagement work by The Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture at the University of York has highlighted the extraordinary … Read more
On Saturday 7th September and Monday 9th September we ran tours – around the site and virtually online introducing the new proposals, with around 70 people taking part. Comments and other feedback were recorded using Post-Its written by participants plus notes taken on the tours and during the online session. The proposals were also shared … Read more