Scarborough councillors approve amended ‘station gateway’ redevelopment plan

Members of the Scarborough and Whitby area planning committee have given the go-ahead to the proposed public realm works of the ‘station gateway’ redevelopment following a U-turn in the plan to move four railway station bus stops 100 metres along Westborough

The committee’s inaugural meeting saw councillors vote unanimously in favour of the redevelopment though many said they would not have supported the proposal if the “extremely concerning” plan to move the bus stops had been pursued by the applicant, North Yorkshire Council.

Several members of the public also wrote to the council objecting to the proposal on the grounds that the bus stops would be moved.

The ‘gateway’ scheme aims to increase pedestrianisation of the station area by moving the taxi rank to the rear of the station building as well as introducing hard and soft landscaping works including the introduction of more trees and plants.

Speaking in favour of the proposal, Chris Bourne, the head of projects at North Yorkshire Council said: “It is fair to say that this is Scarborough’s flagship project through these programmes and it has attracted £6.4m of external grant investment.

“The scheme aims to have a transformative effect on visitor arrival and first impressions for people as they arrive into Scarborough town centre.

“The relocation of the taxi rank to the rear of the building will remove a lot of the visual clutter and the impact that the vehicles have when they stand idle in front of the station, and the ability to appreciate the historical context of the building is improved.”

Mr Bourne added: “We are asking for the bus stop relocation to be removed from the application because it was part of the wider Levelling Up Fund application which was unsuccessful and it doesn’t make sense to bring those changes forward at this time without the wider programme.”

However, the original report prepared for councillors stated that the identified transport benefits of the scheme “outweigh the negative impacts of the relocation of the four bus stops”.

The pedestrianisation of the area is set to include new landscaping and planting alongside “street furniture” to provide various seating options, as well as providing barriers to restrict vehicular access.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Janet Jefferson said: “My main concern was the removal of the bus stops because I’m a big supporter of public transport and those four stops outside accommodate a whole lot of use and providers.

“It would have been very detrimental and we wouldn’t have had as efficient a connectivity to provide this run-through for everyone when they arrive at the station.”

However, concerns about antisocial behaviour were raised by Cllr Neil Swannick who said he was “less than impressed” when examining the plan.

He said: “It doesn’t feel like a particularly safe space, so I was surprised that moving all the activity to the back of the building was deemed to be a safe way to do things.”

The plan was approved by the committee subject to various conditions including requirements around lighting strategy and tree protection.