York Minster
Hostile Vehicle Mitigation


Street seating | Landmark protection
Counter Terror | CT Blocks

Location: York

Background:
York’s cathedral, although known as a minster, is officially the “Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York.” It is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe and one of the UK’s most visited attractions. The Minster is open every day for sightseeing as well as regular services, events and concerts. Townscape was asked to provide a solution to protect the west entrance after the cathedral received clear recommendations from the Counter-Terrorism Unit to take urgent and decisive action to protect that area.

Project Details:
More than two million visitors from all over the world pass through York Minster every year. The iconic landmark required a solution to protect visitors from vehicle-borne attacks at its west entrance. Townscape was appointed to install a Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) system. It was important that the security system blended in perfectly with the surroundings and was not viewed just as a hostile vehicle mitigation measure. Townscape installed 12 PAS 68 certified Counter Terror Blocks in a York stone finish to perfectly match the architecture of the building. Various sands were blended to ensure the colour was matched exactly. Importantly, no archeology was disturbed by the installation.

Result:
This important historical landmark now has secure protection at its west entrance. York Minister is almost 1,000 years old and the project resulted in a solution that blended in with its surroundings. The Townscape Counter Terror block was the perfect solution for the project allowing the colour to be matched exactly.