Parents of young adults with learning disabilities have worked on this plan since 2020. York council has now agreed to sell the Tang Hall library site for it.

A group of York parents who have spent six years looking for a home for their grown-up children has moved a big step closer. City of York Council has agreed to sell the former Tang Hall Library site on Fifth Avenue for a small supported living scheme.

The officer decision of 29 October allows up to nine self-contained one and two-bedroom apartments. The families’ group, called CosyHome, helped design them.

How it got here

The parents’ young adults have learning disabilities. The council’s record says the families want a long-term answer “as parents / carers grow older and less able to care for their loved ones”. The aim is for their sons and daughters to move out and live as independently as possible, with support.

  • 2020: the parents start working with the council’s community and self-build officer to find land.
  • October 2021: the Executive notes the proposal for the Tang Hall site and approves disposing of it on a long lease.
  • March 2026: a planning application for the site is validated.
  • 29 October 2026: the Director of City Development approves going ahead with the agreed terms.

The site is vacant and hoarded off. The council’s record warns that leaving it empty could attract anti-social behaviour.

What would be built

Planning application 26/00506/FUL describes:

  • eight self-contained flats for residents
  • one flat for staff
  • two offices and communal areas
  • landscaping, access and parking

The register still showed the application as awaiting a decision when we checked on 5 November. So this is not yet a done deal.

The terms

The heads of terms, marked subject to contract, set out the deal with the developer, Kendal House Properties Ltd:

  • a 999-year lease at a peppercorn rent
  • a premium of £210,000 plus VAT, which the council says meets a certified RICS valuation
  • 24 months to finish the building after planning permission, so the land cannot be banked

CosyHome members get first offer of a home. The council gets nomination rights over any homes they do not take, and over all of them once the first residents move on. That means the extra flats can go to other people in York who need supported housing, instead of them having to move out of the area.

What it means for you

If you live near Fifth Avenue, the application is the place to read the plans and any comments. If your family is in a similar position, the council’s record says community-led housing of this kind has its own officer, so ask the council about it.

Sources