Scarborough food hall applies for retrospective planning permission for site conversion

Adrian Wilson’s retrospective planning application for Wilson’s Food Hall has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council to “justify and explain” the development.

The proposal seeks permission to change the site’s use from a vehicle workshop to a food hall which opened in November.

In October, the business applied for a premises licence which was approved earlier this month with permitted opening hours from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week.

No alterations have been proposed to the physical size of the building but it does seek approval for a double door to the central roadside, three associated branded awnings, an outdoor seating area, and adjacent windbreak timber fencing.

The applicant said that the food hall is anticipated to have a “negligible impact on the local highway network”, with the expected traffic levels set to “remain modest and well within the capacity of the existing infrastructure”.

According to submitted plans, the business is “entirely independent and deeply rooted in the local community” and hosts a range of artisan businesses delivering the “finest food, drink, bakery goods, ice cream, and retail items”.

It also has a café serving freshly roasted and ground coffee as well as an “extensive wine collection” with its own dedicated wine cellar.

The food hall will also accommodate remote working facilities.

The applicant, Mr Wilson, has “extensive experience” as a general manager and director for large food producers but recently decided to “focus on a dream he had nurtured for years” by creating “a unique space that supports local businesses”.

The proposal concludes that the site will “not be visually intrusive from public vantage points” and would “not harm the character and appearance of the surrounding landscape”.

North Yorkshire Council has not set a date for deciding on the plan which is currently pending consideration.