Scarborough's South Cliff Gardens to be restored to their former glory

The South Cliff Gardens project is being funded by a £4.6m award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund, £1.6 million from Scarborough Council and the remaining balance coming from Section 106 funding, match-funding and the South Cliff Gardens Group.

The Grade II Historic Gardens had fallen into disrepair over recent decades but the securing of the funding for the project in 2019 gave the area a chance to return to its heyday.

Following delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic Scarborough Council’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday next week when it will appoint PBS Construction (NE) Ltd as the main contractor.

The cabinet report notes that due to the delays and some changes to the proposed new public toilets that make up an element of the scheme the budget has increased by approximately £120,000.

The report adds: “Project costs include £36,000 within the tender value for adaptations to the proposed new public conveniences. The modifications are specific to Scarborough Borough Council design requirements, making them easier to maintain and providing a high quality durable finish.

“They also facilitate the provision of pay on entry providing a source of funds for re-investment within the gardens.”

The £36,000 will come from money previously set aside for toilets in the borough other funds to cover the shortfall include £69,000 from the authority’s Capital Contingency Reserve and £19,278 from Section 106 funding.

The 200-year-old gardens include 14 timber and concrete shelters, believed to be the largest number of historic shelters in any public garden in the country and feature 19th Century Egyptian gates, Italian steps designed by Joseph Paxton, iconic Italian gardens, Holbeck Clock Tower, the world’s first beach chalets, rose garden and the much-loved Clock Café.

As part of the project a boarded up tunnel built in 1874 beneath the railway tracks of the cliff lift will be reopened to the public. The tunnel was used to join the gardens so people could pass beneath the cliff lift before structural issues saw its enforced closure.

The project will also restore the historic infrastructure of the gardens, improve habitat management and provide new facilities that will complement the gardens’ historic setting and encourage greater community use.

The gardens will be made more accessible, dementia friendly and inclusive, heritage features will be restored, a new and innovative play area will be built and original heritage horticultural displays installed.

A successional tree planting programme will be adopted and a new Operational Centre building will be constructed for shared use by council staff and the community.

There will also be an annual programme of events put on for the local community and Scarborough’s visitors to enjoy.

The cabinet report adds that the pandemic has also forced the council to address a possible loss in income that had been factored into the original business plan.

It states: “It is now clear that the effects of the pandemic will undoubtedly have an ongoing impact on the ability of the council to derive additional revenues from the gardens. Expected impacts could be reduced numbers of visits, less spending and an inability to increase or introduce new rents for the next few years.

“Resultantly, officers have carried out a critical review in relation to the income generation profile.

“Projected reductions in income levels have been factored in primarily around rental opportunities and income generated from public conveniences. A 10p surcharge has been included to charges for the cliff lift. This increase in the cost of an individual fare will be ring-fenced for re- investment within the gardens.”