Council make decision on future of Poundworld store in Scarborough town centre

APAM Limited applied to Scarborough Borough Council for a change of use permission for the former Poundworld store in Newborough.

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Following only a single objection council planning officers have now approved the application.

The one objector wrote: “I do not feel that the town needs any more cafes.

“Retail is what is required. We could lose smaller cafes due to large commercial ones opening and I am assuming that this would be a large company.”

The planning officer’s report notes that no prospective tenant is lined up to open a cafe at the property, which has now been empty for more than 15 months after Poundworld went into liquidation.

The discount store started out in 1974 as a market stall in Wakefield but competition with rivals including Poundland hit it hard before it was forced to close its doors in 2018.

In total, the collapse of the chain, which had 335 stores, resulted in the loss of 5,100 jobs across the country.

The empty unit in Scarborough underwent a recent renovation as the owner seeks a new tenant.