Historic Westwood school and former SJT in Scarborough set to become 50 flats

In January YPG Developments Ltd applied to Scarborough Council to convert the former Westwood building in the town into 28 residential apartments. The school was once part of Yorkshire Coast College before closing in 2017.

A further three-storey block of 22 residential flats would be created on the site of a former ceramics workshop near the school, along with 50 parking spaces.

The plans are set to go before the council’s planning and development committee on May 4 and have been recommended for approval.

In their submission to the council YPG Developments LTD said it would look to retain the character of the listed building.

It stated: “The conversion will be sensitive to the historic and protected nature of the listed building with minimal external alterations which will ensure the appearance and character of the site will not be altered significantly.

“Internally the large spaces within the former school building will be sensitively divided to provide modern living spaces whilst retaining historic features and the original layout including the hallways and classrooms.”

Vehicles will still enter and exit the site through the existing entrance onto Valley Bridge Road.

Originally, the plans were for 32 units in the Westwood campus building and 18 in the new build, this was changed during the process.

The new three-storey building has also been moved to take it further away from the nearby North Yorkshire County Council Pupil Referral Unit.

As part of the development the historic Theatre in the Round, which housed the world premier of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black before it transferred to become one the most famous plays in West End history, will now become a “co-working space” and will include both an open-plan office area, private meeting rooms, and toilet facilities.

This change was made following objections from Historic England and the Theatres Trust to the original proposal.

Seven objections have been received from members of the public as well as the Victorian Society.

It will be up to the committee to decide whether to grant permission for the development to go ahead.

The theatre at Westwood opened with a revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s Mr Whatnot on October 26 1976.

The building which housed the former college campus was opened in 1900 and was called the Municipal School, or ‘The Muni’ by the locals. It was designed by notable architect Edwin Cooper and contains intricate relief panels by the sculptor Henry Charles Fehr.

It became the Boys’ Grammar School before it was converted to become the old Stephen Joseph Theatre in 1976.

The three-vomitorium theatre design and shape was created for the move to Westwood, and was then reproduced exactly at the new Stephen Joseph Theatre venue.

Famous alumni of Westwood include novelist Storm Jameson and author Leo Walmsley,