Willow House York: Compulsory Purchase Backed for 36 Homes

City of York Council has given itself the go-ahead to prepare a compulsory purchase order over six garages and storage units on Long Close Lane, so it can build the last ten of 36 affordable homes on the old Willow House care home site.

The Executive approved the principle on Wednesday 9 September. It has not made an order, and it says it will only ask to make one if it cannot buy the six assets by agreement (City of York Council, printed decisions, Executive, 9 September 2026).

What the site is

Willow House is a former care home at 34 Long Close Lane, YO10 4UP, in Guildhall ward just inside the city walls. It has stood empty since 2017. The wider site takes in 19 garages and 6 storage units, and the council’s report names vacancy and antisocial behaviour as the reasons the area was flagged as a priority for regeneration (Preparation for Potential Use of Compulsory Purchase Powers at Willow House, Executive, 9 September 2026, paras 2 and 13).

Planning permission for 36 homes was granted on 7 May 2026 under reference 25/02537/FULM. Demolition consent came earlier, on 12 March 2026, under 25/02383/FUL (para 14).

Why ten homes depend on six garages

The six assets the council wants sit in the northern part of the site. Ten of the 36 homes are designed to go there.

The report sets out what happens if the council does not get them (paras 20 to 21):

• the scheme could not be built in full
• development would be limited to the southern portion of the site
• the number of homes would fall from 36 to 26
• the landscaping would need significant redesign, which “could undermine the viability of the scheme”
• the garages and stores would stay as they are, which the council says would leave “an ongoing source of antisocial behaviour”

There is a money reason for haste too. Grant funding from the Mayoral Combined Authority and from MHCLG through One Public Estate is paying for demolition and enabling works on the southern section, and that grant carries conditions about when work starts on site (para 27).

What was actually approved

The Executive resolved to approve the principle of using compulsory purchase powers under Section 17 of the Housing Act 1985 over the six assets, and to let officers get the paperwork ready. It specifically noted that:

• authority to make an order would only be requested after a further detailed report and a Statement of Reasons come back to the Executive
• an order would only be sought where voluntary acquisition has not worked and the statutory tests are met
• the approval does not cover any residential properties inside the wider boundary plan

That last point matters locally. Three homes fall within the red line for technical reasons. The report says twice that they are not proposed for acquisition and are not part of the scope (paras 4 and 13).

Officers were delegated authority to appoint land referencing agents, prepare a Statement of Reasons and an Equalities Impact Assessment, and to keep trying to buy the interests by agreement, including settling compensation.

Where the negotiations stand

Leaseholders were first contacted by letter in early 2024, followed by meetings and written correspondence. Heads of Terms have been shared and compensation principles explained. The council’s own summary is that most leaseholders have indicated a willingness to proceed, by sale or by being reprovided for, and that others are still in negotiation (para 18).

A compulsory purchase order is a last resort in law, not just in policy. The council has to show a compelling case in the public interest, a deliverable scheme, available funding, no legal impediment, and that it made reasonable efforts to buy by agreement (paras 16 and 30). It also has to act compatibly with Article 1 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (para 37).

What the homes would be

All 36 are affordable, on a brownfield site, with new play and amenity space. The build standard is unusually high for a council scheme and is worth stating plainly (para 34):

• designed to be net zero carbon in operation
• new build elements targeting Passivhaus certification
• a 104% improvement on Part L 2013, against the 75% the local plan requires
• solar PV maximised on suitable roofs, potentially providing 114% of total energy demand

Costs of acquisition and compensation are already in the approved project budget and come from the Housing Revenue Account, so no extra money was needed for this decision (para 9). Main works are expected to begin with an appointed Strategic Developer Partner in March 2027 (para 14).

What it means for you

• If you rent a garage or store on the northern part of the site, the council has not taken anything yet. It is preparing, and it says it will keep negotiating. Any order would need a fresh Executive decision and a published Statement of Reasons first.
• If you live in one of the three homes inside the red line, the report is explicit that your property is not part of this, and that the council is not seeking to acquire occupied homes.
• If you are on the housing register, this is 36 affordable homes, ten of which are the ones in question. Nothing is built before March 2027 on the council’s own timetable.
• If you want to object to the principle, the route is a call-in by a councillor to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, and the deadline is 4pm on Wednesday 16 September, five working days after the meeting.

This is the second Walmgate decision in a fortnight. The £967,300 South Walmgate plan, which includes 36 council homes of its own, was decided on 8 September and is covered in our South Walmgate story. Our York planning news page tracks the rest.

Sources

• City of York Council: printed decisions, Executive, 9 September 2026
• Item 12: Preparation for Potential Use of Compulsory Purchase Powers at Willow House to Support the Delivery of Affordable Housing
• Executive meeting papers, 9 September 2026
• City of York Council planning register: 25/02537/FULM, Willow House, 34 Long Close Lane

Report of Garry Taylor, Director of City Development, co-authored by Zoe Dunn, Head of Housing Delivery, approved 18 August 2026. The portfolio holders are Cllr Merrett and Cllr Perrett, joint Executive Members for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities.