Big plans revealed for Barnitts shop and buildings in York
Plans have gone in to separate part of the iconic Barnitts store on Colliergate to create a new, independent city centre retail unit.
Under the application, the section of the shop that opens onto 28A Colliergate and the attached former Drill Hall on St Andrewgate would be separated off.
It could then be marketed as a separate retail unit, while the rest of the main Barnitts hardware store would continue to trade as now.
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The part of the building involved. Image: planning documents
The family-owned store, which was founded in 1896 and has traded in York for well over a century, has submitted a listed building consent application to City of York Council.
The move will pave the way for a self-contained, 14,000 sq ft “shell” commercial space that can be marketed to a new tenant or buyer, while Barnitts consolidates its operations into its core premises at 24-26 Colliergate.
It marks the latest chapter in a long-running story for the historic site.
Back in 2020, YorkMix reported on ambitious plans by developer Oakgate Group to transform the former Victorian Drill Hall and upper floors of 28A Colliergate into 10 townhouses and two apartments alongside a downsized store.
Although planning permission and listed building consent were secured in March 2021 for the residential scheme, the project hit a brick wall.
The Drill Hall on St Andrewgate. Image: planning documents
Documents submitted with the new application reveal that a post-pandemic surge in construction costs and changing development market conditions made the residential conversion commercially unviable.
The developer withdrew. Barnitts continued to market the townhouses and apartments scheme but without success. The original planning consents expired in March 2026.
Nevertheless, Barnitts still wants to streamline its footprint. The retailer says evolving customer habits and stock management systems mean it doesn’t need large back-of-house storage any more.
The application premises have a rich and varied history. Originally built in the early 1800s as a house sitting in front of the Old Sandhill Inn and stable yard, 28A Colliergate was later converted into an inn before being adapted for military use in 1872.
The Drill Hall courtyard. Image: planning documents
The red-brick Drill Hall on St Andrewgate was built on an old tavern site by architects Gould and Fisher for the First West Yorkshire Rifle Volunteer Battalion, later serving as a Territorial Army centre until Barnitts acquired and incorporated the complex in 1994.
Under the new proposals designed by Studio S2 Architects, the historic boundary between the store and the former military buildings will be restored.
Work would involve permanently infilling ground and first-floor openings created during the 1990s amalgamation, capping off shared heating and electrical services, and installing a timber boundary fence in the internal rear courtyard.
The black cat and clock on 28A Colliergate. Image: planning documents
The famous clock and “black cat” figure mounted on the 28A Colliergate facade will be retained, planning documents pledge.
The application says: “Barnitts remains committed to the disposal and beneficial reuse of the former Drill Hall and No. 28A.
Inside Barnitts. Image: planning documentsThe main Barnitts store will remain. Photograph: YorkMix
“Changes in retailing, stock management and supply arrangements mean that the business no longer requires the same level of ancillary storage and operational floorspace.
“Its activities are therefore being consolidated around the principal Colliergate frontage, helping to reduce operating costs and maintain an efficient and sustainable business within an ever challenging retail market.”
City of York Council will decide on the listed building consent application in the coming weeks.
