COUNCIL bosses argued against York’s condemned Reynards garage becoming a listed building after they voted to redevelop the site, it has emerged.

City of York Council objected to proposals put forward in 2014 to put the historic Art Deco building on English Heritage’s list and are now considering some form of housing on the site, documents which have emerged in a planning case show.

The city council put forward the only objection to listing, going against support from other groups including York Civic Trust, the Yorkshire Air Museum – who want to build a 1930s themed visitor attraction in the building, and the Nevil Shute Norway Foundation.

An English Heritage report, published in a planning application to demolish the garage, says: “The local authority response noted that councillors had recently voted to redevelop the site and thus they could not support listing. All other responses were strongly supportive of listing.”

It adds: “The council has recently voted to redevelop the site, despite its identification as being a building of merit in the conservation area appraisal and its proximity to the historic buildings of Walmgate to the rear.”

The 1920s building has been cordoned off for more than a month, since surveyors warned that its condition posed a danger to the public.

Last month, the council’s ruling executive agreed that it should be torn down, and a planning application to demolish it has now been made.

The building in the 1960s, and as it is now

The garage was built in 1921 and was once the home of the Airspeed factory owned by author Nevil Shute and invested in by aviation pioneer Amy Johnson but English Heritage said that while the history was interesting, there was nothing left in the building linked to that aspect of its history.

As part of the council’s application, English Heritage’s original report on whether the garage should be listed has been published.

That documents show the council’s objections, and show that even though the site is significant as a rare existing example of a trolley-bus depot, much of the “restrained Art Deco” architecture has been damaged, and no signs of the pioneering Airspeed aviation company that it once housed remain.

Other documents in the same planning case show that the council considers the building to be “a poor quality industrial building with no significant architectural merit”, and show that the council are looking at a high quality residential development on the site.

The council commissioned a structural survey in 2009, but did not make the recommended repairs.

A design and access statement says: “The site is in a prime location and stands to take advantage of the recent refurbishment projects at the northern end of Piccadilly.

“The site has the potential to provide a range of uses and the Southern Gateway Team are modelling the possibility of this site to offer a high quality private rented sector residential scheme, providing the council with a long term income.”

Anyone wishing to comment on the planning application can do so on the council website.