Council to support Scarborough with footfall and vacant shops ‘in a big way’
North Yorkshire Council has said it will support Scarborough to “ensure that footfall is increased” amid concern about high street shop closures.
Senior councillors have said they are “looking to support Scarborough in quite a big way” to increase footfall in the town centre.
It comes as Scarborough is set to receive £20m of funding over the coming decade and a proposal on how it should be spent was sent to the Government last week.
At a meeting last month, councillors also approved a £350,000 feasibility study into revitalising the Brunswick Centre.
Coun David Staveley asked about data on vacant shops across the county’s town centres alongside projects to “address the seasonal impacts of falling numbers experienced on the East Coast resorts, such as Scarborough”.
He added: “Are there any other strategies for the other resorts on the coast?”
Coun Mark Crane, the executive member for open to business, said: “We do not as a routine collect figures for empty and vacant shops, however, Scarborough has traditionally done that and continues to do so, but I don’t have those figures to hand at the moment.
“We do have figures for footfall as you will see and we are looking to support Scarborough in quite a big way and to ensure that footfall is increased in that area.
“And indeed, I think when you look at Whitby, you’ll see that the figures for that are very positive and Whitby has managed to be an almost year-round resort which is very positive”
North Yorkshire’s two largest towns, Scarborough and Harrogate, had the highest footfall across the year “by some considerable margin”, according to a council report.
It adds that “findings do highlight the seasonal variance in terms of footfall with Scarborough, Whitby and Filey generating higher numbers across […] the traditionally milder summer months.”
As part of the ‘Long Term Plan for Towns’ which will see Scarborough receive £20m over 10 years, the council conducted a “substantial engagement and consultation” with residents, businesses and stakeholders.
The money can be used to deliver long-term projects “including regenerating high streets, protecting local heritage, and cracking down on anti-social behaviour”.
Coun Crane added: “I hope people in Scarborough will be pleased with some of the money we’re ploughing in and the money that the previous Government ploughed in.”