THE YORK BRIEF ⏰ Wednesday, March 11, 2026

⚡ York's flagship regeneration project is under the microscope today, and the numbers don't look pretty. Meanwhile, Goodramgate's most battered tea room is still standing, barely. Here's what's happening in your city.

📰 NEWS

☕ Old York Tea Room Hit - For the Fourth Time - The owners of the Old York Tea Room on Goodramgate are "shattered" after a vehicle struck their historic building for the fourth time on 6 March, leaving a massive crack in an upstairs wall and floor requiring a full structural survey. Anthony and Thomas Vickers have now scrapped plans for a second unit. The council says a bollard isn't practical, citing ongoing Reimagining York Streets work. Police ref: NYP-06032026-0145.

🪵 York Goes Smoke-Free: Wood Burner Rules Tightened City-Wide - City of York Council has approved a new York-wide Smoke Control Area, replacing a patchwork of existing local orders. Residents must now use a Government-approved stove or authorised smokeless fuel. The move passed despite 64.7% of consultation respondents objecting. Cllr Jenny Kent (Labour) cited children developing coughs; Cllr Tony Fisher (Lib Dem) warned it would disproportionately hit older and poorer households. Around 39 homes may need to replace their stoves.

🐻 York MP Wants King's Guard to Ditch Bear Fur Hats - York Central MP Rachael Maskell is calling for an end to the centuries-old tradition of using real bearskin for the King's Guard's iconic tall hats, in a new animal welfare push.

✈️ York Residents Stranded in the Middle East - MP Takes It to Parliament - York Outer MP Luke Charters raised the plight of constituents stranded following the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict, questioning Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the House of Commons about travel insurers applying "overly broad exclusion terms" to leave people out of pocket. Reeves confirmed the relevant minister would meet Charters and stressed that people should not be "ripped off" getting home. The FCDO has since opened a charter flight booking portal for British nationals in Dubai.

🏗️ Station Gateway: "Critical" Audit, £28.5m Over Budget - The numbers are in, and they're not good. An independent audit of York's Station Gateway project has awarded the council its most serious possible rating: "critical." The project, originally budgeted at £26m, has ballooned to a total cost of £54.7m, a £28.5m overspend. The audit found the council entered its construction contract before legal agreements were in place, and crucially, the overspend went unreported for two years. The findings go before the Audit & Governance Committee today. Lib Dem deputy leader Cllr Paula Widdowson called it "a catalogue of financial irresponsibility," while Labour's Cllr Katie Lomas says the current administration inherited the mess from its predecessors.

🚨 CRIME

🔫 Armed Police Swoop on George Street - Multiple North Yorkshire Police vehicles, including armed officers, a dog unit, and an unmarked car, descended on the junction of George Street and Long Close Lane on Monday afternoon (10 March) at around 4.19 pm. Officers were seen in the front garden of a property for approximately 10 minutes before leaving. No explanation has been given; police have been contacted for comment.

⚠️ Racial Assault Appeal: Sainsbury's Local, Bootham - North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman in her 60s was assaulted and racially abused outside the Sainsbury's Local on Bootham at around 9.10 pm on Wednesday, 25 February. The suspect is described as a dark-skinned male, early 20s, slight build with dark hair, who left in a dark saloon car heading towards Clifton. Anyone with information should contact PC1864 Wilding.

💊 £21,000 from Cannabis Duo Goes to York Youth Charity - A father and son caught dealing cannabis in York will have £21,225 confiscated and handed to NY RISE, a charity helping young people with drug and alcohol problems. Jake Nelson, 25, and Paul Nelson, 54, were found with nearly 2kg of cannabis and £21,000 in cash hidden in a Harrogate self-storage unit. Judge Stephen Ashurst at York Crown Court gave both suspended sentences after noting the case took over four years to reach court. Both have led law-abiding lives since the 2021 raid.

⚽ SPORT

⚖️ York City FC Back Ugglas Amid McGill Lawsuit - Club staff have rallied behind owners Matt and Julie-Anne Uggla after former owner Jason McGill filed a lawsuit for alleged breach of contract. In a formal statement, staff said the Ugglas have shown "extraordinary commitment" and "transformed the club's fortunes both on and off the pitch." The club, currently sitting at the top of the National League, said it would make no further comment on the ongoing legal matter.

🏅 COMMUNITY HERO

⭐ LNER Driver Gets Her Star on York Station - Helen Donagher, 38, an LNER train driver from County Durham, has been honoured with a Hollywood Walk of Fame-style star on York station's concourse, just in time for International Women's Day. Helen won LNER's Lifesaver Award 2026 after a woman jumped in front of her train in January 2025, only three months into her career. She administered first aid on the spot until paramedics arrived. An extraordinary act of calm under pressure.

🎓 STUDENT LIFE

🚨 York St John Launches Urgent Investigation into Campus Bar Incident - York St John University has launched an urgent investigation after an alleged incident of sexual harassment took place in the Students' Union Lounge on Saturday, 7 March. The university confirmed the event was attended by a mix of students and non-students and said CCTV and witness statements so far show "no indication of inappropriate behaviour by York St John students." Students have pushed back publicly, with some saying it is "not an isolated incident" and calling for greater transparency. The university said outcomes will remain confidential to protect all parties.

🏃 York Challenge Week 2026: 25 Clubs, One Week to Raise Funds - University of York's annual fundraising campaign is live now through 15 March — 25 student sports clubs and societies are taking on creative challenges to raise vital funds for coaching, equipment, and transport costs. YuFund has contributed £20,000, and a donor has pledged an additional £5,000 in match funding. Dame Kelly Holmes is championing the campaign. Last year raised over £53,000. Donate at yorkchallengeweek.hubbub.net.

🚶 125-Mile Walk for Educational Inequality - Two York University figures, Mary Haworth (Director of Philanthropic Partnerships) and Elke Versmessen (wife of Vice-Chancellor Prof Charlie Jeffery), will walk 125 miles in five days this April (20–24), from IntoUniversity Grimsby to The Place in Westfield, York. Raising £3,400+ for IntoUniversity centres supporting children in areas where 34% live in poverty, above the 28% national average. Support their walk: yustart.hubbub.net

🧇 Northern Society Revived, Black Pudding Throwing Included - Feeling outnumbered by southerners, University of York students revived the Northern Society (North Soc) in 2022, founded by Rylan Mann and his late friend Benji. The society now runs Lancashire Day parties, a Yorkshire Olympics, and black pudding throwing competitions. Open to everyone.

🏗️ DEVELOPMENT

🏘️ 970-Home Garden Village Breaks Ground at Monks Cross - Redrow has commenced construction on the first phase of Monks Cross Village Gardens, a landmark 970-home garden village set across 164 acres in Huntington. The development will also deliver a primary school, sports pitches, a shop, and a new country park over the next decade. The first phase covers 314 homes, 30% of which are affordable. First properties go on sale this summer, all built to Redrow's Heritage Collection with air source heat pumps and underfloor heating throughout.

💼 BUSINESS

📈 York-Based Abingdon Health to Trade on US Venture Market - York diagnostics firm Abingdon Health has announced its shares will begin trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States next month under the ticker symbol "ABDXF", while continuing on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market as "ABDX." The move aims to increase liquidity and attract a broader US investor base, with no additional SEC reporting obligations. The company is headquartered in York and also has a facility in Madison, Wisconsin currently undergoing its second phase of expansion.

🍫 KitKat Built a 350kg Chocolate F1 Car - and York's Nestlé Lab Is Behind It - A life-sized Formula 1 car made entirely of KitKat chocolate has been turning heads, developed at Nestlé's York R&D Centre (YO31 8TA). The 5-metre-long, 350kg creation took 1,254 hours of craftsmanship by chocolatier Jen Lindsey-Clark and was unveiled at Silverstone. York: quietly powering the world's most ambitious confectionery engineering.

🎨 ARTS & CULTURE

🌊 Making Waves: Japanese Woodblock Prints at York Art Gallery - More than 100 works are on display at York Art Gallery as part of Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print (27 Feb – 30 Aug 2026). The headline exhibit is Hokusai's iconic The Great Wave, on loan from Maidstone Museum, alongside works by Utagawa Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro. A Japanese-style garden is also being installed in Museum Gardens. Included in general admission.

🧦 Grand Opera House Panto 2026: Peter Pan Returns - The Grand Opera House York has announced its first star for the 2026 pantomime: Jimmy Bryant returns as Smee in The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook, running 5 December 2026 - 3 January 2027. Bryant previously starred in Cinderella - the most successful panto in the venue's history.

🔍 York Lit Festival: A Very Vexing Murder - Dr Lucy Andrew launches her debut novel A Very Vexing Murder, first in her Jane Austen-inspired Harriet Smith Investigates series, at York Literature Festival on Tuesday 24 March, 6pm, at York Explore Library and Archives. Tickets via yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

🍺 WHAT'S ON THIS WEEKEND

🎉 Bishopthorpe Beer Festival: 13–15 March - Free Entry - The 14th edition of Bishopthorpe Sports & Social Club's annual beer festival kicks off this Friday,4 pm 13 March (doors 4pm) and runs through Sunday 15 March - St Patrick's themed, with nine real ales and two ciders at the festival bar. Pints at £3.90, halves £1.95. Saturday night features the France v England Six Nations final on the big screen at 8.10 pm, followed by a video disco. Entry is free. The club was named CAMRA York Club of the Year 2025 and is in the Good Beer Guide 2026.