Social Vision wrote previously about a new Roman attraction planned for Rougier Street – revitalising a pretty forgotten area of our city and offering loads of opportunities for York’s social sector.

Those plans are now in full swing, with a planning application submitted, and we’re asking our supporters to get behind this project and take 5 minutes of your day to write a letter of support. Here’s why we’re behind it:

1. York Archaeological Trust have pledged that their two year dig will be open to every single school child in York. What an amazing opportunity for future generations to have a hands on experience – finding artefacts that have been buried under our streets for thousands of years. Seeing it in a museum is one thing, but actually digging and discovering is something else all together.
2. That whole block on Rougier Street is pretty uninspiring. The only active frontage is a bar that’s only open later at night. The visuals show a really engaging street with shops and businesses that draw passers by in, making it a pleasant street to be on, not just a collection of bus stops.
3. The plans include a commitment to build a brand new, purpose built, 400 capacity music venue. This would be a massive coup for York, and complement the excellent (but small) offering already here such as Crescent Community Venue and Fulford Arms. The size of this new venue is important – it fills the gap between those smaller venues and the huge Barbican, and can attract new acts to the city, whilst providing a mid-size venue for some of our excellent local talent to grow into.
4. Lots of space for independents. Social Vision is a huge supporter of the local independent network, and is working with the developers to ensure the space has opportunities for local talent to showcase itself. With the city centre facing a bit of a retail crisis and people’s shopping habits changing, this is a great opportunity to redefine what a city centre space looks and feels like.

We’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in being involved in the Roman Quarter, but first of all, please grab a cuppa and take five minutes to support the planning application by following these steps:

1. Visit https://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/
2. Login if you have an account, or create one (takes a minute) if you don’t
3. Enter 19/02672/FULM in the box at the bottom of the search page and hit ‘Search’
4. Click on ‘Make a Comment’
5. Tell the council why you think this is a good idea for our city.