Attention street food lovers, SPARK:York’s lease has been officially extended to 2030

SPARK:York has been granted permission to stay on its Piccadilly site until 2030.

The venue first opened in 2018 using repurposed shipping containers.

SPARK:York has been granted permission to extend its lease at its Piccadilly site until 2030, meaning the shipping container venue will remain a fixture of the city centre.

The site, which opened in 2018, is home to a range of independent food and drink vendors and regularly hosts community events, markets and live entertainment.

‘A huge relief’ for businesses’

Tom McKenzie, co-founder and managing director of SPARK:York, told the BBC the lease extension would provide stability for the businesses operating there.

He said: “This is a huge relief. It provides reassurance to the businesses and community groups based on the site.”

Tom explained that the venue had previously struggled to secure funding because its leases had been short term.

“This medium-term certainty means we’re finally able to properly reinvest in the venue and make improvements we’ve been talking about for years,” he said.

“No bank or funder will support major investment because we can’t demonstrate the ability to repay a loan.”

From empty site to city hotspot

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The Piccadilly site has had a long and varied history.

It was previously used as a trolleybus shed, then an aviation factory in 1931, and later a garage before being left empty for around 20 years from the mid-1990s.

SPARK:York transformed the space into a colourful outdoor venue made up of stacked shipping containers housing independent traders.

Since opening, it has become known for its mix of street food, bars and community events.

Conditions relating to noise levels will remain in place to help ensure nearby residents are not excessively affected.

Looking further ahead, Tom said SPARK:York could eventually move to the York Central development in the city centre.

The team is also exploring opportunities to open similar venues in Doncaster, Hull and London.

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Featured image via Google Maps