North Street in Scarborough partially closed due to dangerous building

The front of the building is damaged and a hoarding has been erected in front of it, blocking the street.

Businesses on the street remain open although access is now via Waterhouse Lane.

The Black Lion Hotel said: "Please note that due to the dangerous building, part of North Street is closed off.

"You can not get thought from the main street but you can use the alleyway at the side of Savers or use Waterhouse Lane.

"We are all open as normal so there need to miss us out."

TEN North Street said: "Due to a dangerous building, part of North Street is closed off which means you can't access us from the main street!

"We are very much open so please use the Waterhouse Lane entrance to visit us and the other businesses on North Street."

Spencers tea room, Coastal Communication, Tkmaxx and Matalan are also all open.

Terry Bigsby, manager of Coastal Communication, said he had been given no notice that the road would be closed off.

He said: "Nobody told us anything. I got down here around 7am and [the hoarding] was already up."

The effect of the road closure had been significant for the shop, with Mr Bigsby saying that by 12.30pm today he had only served five customers and would have expected to see 30-40 on a typical day.

Mr Bigsby said that he and other business owners in the area had been complaining to the council for the past four years about the empty premises.

The building, 6 North Street, between Coastal Communication and Spencers cafe, has been empty for over 20 years.

It was bought in 2017 and a planning application was submitted to Scarborough Council in November of the same year to convert the shop and workshop that had stood there to a restaurant/bar with a residential flat, raised terrace and new frontage.

These plans were approved with conditions in June 2018 but work did not commence.

Most recently a new planning application was put in in February 2021 to demolish the property and rebuild a four storey premises made of a bistro/bar and two flats above with raised garden area.

Mr Bigsby said of the latest plans: "If they're doing something to it I'm happy with it.

"They could stick an elephant on it and I'd be happy."

Scarborough Council has been approached for comment.