Plan for a new Eastfield town park, Scarborough, is "biggest thing since town was built"

On Friday, February 2, an event in Eastfield was attended by the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Sir Robert Goodwill, who has said he will support the project.

The “ambitious” proposal is for a park, café, and skate park to be built in the town by 2026, with the site of the old Overdale School currently being considered as a potential location.

Despite support from residents, the town council, politicians and North Yorkshire Council, the plan faces financial uncertainty and a tight deadline.

Jim Bullock, of the Eastfield Residents’ Association, who has a leading role in the project, said: “We need to apply for the funding this year.

“I think the park will happen at some time or another, whether we’ll get this particular plan through is quite tricky.”

Eastfield representative on North Yorkshire Council, Coun Tony Randerson, has also been involved in the plans and received praise from the Residents’ Association for his support.

Eastfield Town Council has also contributed £25,000 for a feasibility study of the proposal, according to Mr Bullock, who added that local government officials had also been “very positive”.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Residents’ Association estimated that the cost of the park was likely to be between £1.5m to £2m.

It is hoping to receive funding from the Levelling Up scheme’s Community Ownership Fund.

Mr Bullock said that a residents survey had been conducted and more than 90 per cent of the circa 800 respondents were in favour, in addition to support from authorities including the police.

If the current proposals go ahead, the nursery building of the Overdale School could be turned into a café with a skate park built behind it.

Mr Bullock added that Eastfield had a lack of public and community space places for people to use and that the café and skate park would be welcome additions as well as helping to “reduce anti-social behaviour”.

The old Overdale School was hit by a blaze in February 2022, with firefighters working through the night to contain it.