'Tower plans should commemorate Jewish massacre'

The council says the work will transform the area into a more versatile and greener space

The redevelopment of the area around Clifford's Tower in York presents a "once in a generation" chance to commemorate a medieval atrocity, councillors have been told.

A £10m scheme, approved by the city council on Tuesday, will replace the 298-space Castle Car Park adjacent to the tower with a park and play space.

The site is sensitive as the tower was the site of a massacre of Jewish residents in the city in 1190.

Original proposals included a circular path designed for people to walk along to commemorate those who died but this was not included in the scheme approved on Tuesday.

An 1190 memorial space featuring planting and seating is planned at the entrance to the tower and the council is considering updating the wording of the plaque at the bottom of the mound the tower sits on.

Dr Louise Hampson, who researches Jewish communities in York, told Tuesday's executive meeting the area around the tower held enormous emotional and spiritual significance for Jews.

"For those that can, climbing the stone steps into Clifford's Tower is a powerful experience, but for those who can't there needs to be a way of meeting those needs.

"The development of this area offers a once in a generation opportunity to create a space within the wider plans to recognise the extraordinary significance of this area in York's history and for Jewish communities around the world."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Lilian Coulson, of York Liberal Jewish Community, said a space was needed for people to reflect on and learn about what happened while showing the city stood against intolerance.

Plans to transform the area around the tower have been revised several times due to rising costs

English Heritage, which runs the tower, describes the events of 1190 as "one of the worst antisemitic massacres of the Middle Ages" with around 150 people believed to have died.

The city's entire Jewish community was trapped by an angry mob inside the timber tower of York Castle driven by a rise in religious tensions and many chose to commit suicide rather than be murdered or forcibly baptised by the attackers.

The present tower was built about 60 years after the the events of 1190.

The area currently occupied by a car park will be replaced with walkways and grassed areas

The redevelopment of the area is part of a wider Castle Gateway scheme which covers the Eye of York area, where the River Foss meets the River Ouse.

The £9.934m scheme has been through several revisions due to rising costs.

Katie Lomas, the council's finance and major projects spokesperson, said the latest plans, which would retain 30 disabled parking spaces, sought to create a greener and more versatile public space.

She said the redevelopment aimed to be sensitive to the site's difficult history and admitted there was always more than could be done but the redevelopment had to take place in a financially-sustainable way.

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