Pressure mounts on North Yorkshire Council over plan to infill Whitby Cliff Lift as MP says authority is ‘cloth-eared’
Pressure is mounting on North Yorkshire Council to reconsider its plans to infill Whitby’s historic cliff lift as a campaign to save the local “lifeline” is growing.
North Yorkshire Council is facing increasing cross-party pressure from politicians and campaigners in the face of its proposal to fill in the Whitby Cliff Lift at a cost of £600,000.
Almost 5,000 people have signed a petition to save the cliff lift which was shut in 2022 after the discovery of structural corrosion.
Residents have also called for a consultation to be held on its proposed infilling, in addition to a current consultation on the free replacement bus service run during the summer.
Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, accused North Yorkshire Council of being “cloth-eared when it comes to the town” and said the authority should appoint a senior officer for Whitby to “break the Northallerton mindset”.
“I want to see a proper public consultation held on its future, in addition to the one currently underway on the replacement bus service,” said the MP.
She added: “I used the cliff lift with my family hundreds of times when we rented a chalet for our summer holidays. The bus is not a replacement – just not as easy to access if you have buggies, wheelchairs and adapted chairs.”
North Yorkshire Council did not say whether it stood by its decision not to hold a consultation over the lift’s proposed infilling.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the authority’s corporate director for environment, Karl Battersby, said that while it would be possible to restore the lift to working order, it would come at “a significant cost and the effects of water and ventilation issues would continue to pose challenges”.
He added: “The matter will be formally reported to our executive for a decision later in the year.
“A free replacement bus service has since been provided to take passengers down to the promenade.
“The cost of operating the service in 2024 was more than £50,000, or approximately £350 per day.”
Both Coun Phil Trumper, who represents Whitby West Cliff on NYC and started the petition, as well as Ms Hume, said they had spoken with Anglo American about the mining company offering support to the council and “carrying out a further investigation to see if the work to repair the lift could be done at a more efficient price”.
However, earlier this week, North Yorkshire Council said it had not received a formal offer of support from the company.
A spokesperson for Anglo American confirmed to the LDRS that it had offered support from its engineers.
“We received the request at one of our regular community meetings and will be meeting with council officers to discuss and visit the cliff lift in the near future,” the spokesperson added.
Coun Sandra Turner, the Mayor of Whitby, told the LDRS: “I certainly think that we should be consulted, I don’t think it should be closed.
“I think we should be looking at other options for the town, and obviously I would like to see us retain our cliff lift.”
The cliff lift petition can be found online at https://www.change.org/p/save-the-historic-whitby-cliff-lift