Plan to demolish and replace Scarborough café in ‘historic harbourside location’ with holiday lets and new bar

The Waterfront Cafe, on 39 Sandside in Scarborough’s South Bay could be demolished and replaced with a three-storey building creating several holiday lets and a new ground-floor café.

The application by Harbourside Holidays Ltd proposes demolition of the building due to its structural condition which it said made conversion and extension “unviable”.

The footprint of the proposed replacement building, located in the town’s conservation area, would be extended on the north side to provide a “modest increase in the floor area” of the ground-floor café and bar.

The three holiday apartments are proposed on the first, second and third floor, including within the roof space of the building.

The proposal forms part of a wider redevelopment of buildings between Sandside and Quay Street by Harbourside Holidays, including at 37 Sandside and 31 and 33 Quay Street, to provide “high-quality holiday accommodation”.

The applicant said it had repaired and remodelled the neighbouring property at 37 to provide a fish and chip restaurant on the ground floor and three holiday apartments above.

Meanwhile, 31 and 33 Quay Street are being remodelled to provide two holiday homes for letting.

According to a structural report submitted to the council, the Sandside building is “extremely aged and weathered” and the applicant said it “is not positively contributing to the character and appearance of the conservation area”.

However, a design report also notes that the building “does contribute to the heritage significance of the locality as it is thought to have occupied the site for well over 170 years and forms part of the established block structure of the historic harbourside location”.

The proposal is currently pending consideration with the planning authority which is accepting public representations.