Whitby Maritime Hub: Council approves construction contract for £10m project, despite concerns

On Tuesday, January 21, the council’s executive committee approved a construction contract for the maritime hub despite objections and requests that the money be spent elsewhere.

It comes as the authority faces rising costs with an overspend already predicted as well as facing a deadline from the Government in order to avoid having to return the funding awarded through the Towns Fund.

Coun Mark Crane, the authority’s executive member for open to business, said: “In my opinion, this is a good news story for the people of Whitby.

“Around 30,000 people and businesses were consulted and this project is strongly supported by the vast majority of people who live and work in Whitby, and both Whitby councillors are supportive.”

He said the multi-million pound project was ready to move to the 13-month construction phase and that the authority had received “strong interest” from possible tenants.

However, a recent report highlighted that there were “no tenants secured at this stage other than one tenant being at Heads of Terms stage”.

A local resident, Dave Wharton, said: “If ever there was a time to jump ship, this is it – do away with this vanity project and put the money to good use benefiting the fishing community on the quay, the wind farm operators who might use Endeavour Wharf and our flagship boatbuilders who operate from the Eastside Wharf.”

However, council bosses highlighted that the Government funding had been strictly allocated to the Maritime Hub and approved the construction contract – details of which have not been made public due to financial sensitivity.

‘Investing in the coast’

Coun Heather Phillips, executive member for corporate services, said: “On the whole, it’s a marvellous idea to get on with this and if people have a problem with it they need to get in touch.

“But people have had plenty of chances to answer consultations, the support seems to be from Whitby as a whole.

“There’s a few people out there who never like anything we do but it’s overall very, very positive news.”

Coun Crane addressed concerns raised by residents about flooding and stated that the building “has been designed to flood”.

In terms of concerns about reputational impacts and cost overruns, he said: “If you didn’t have some consideration for cost overruns and weren’t willing to mitigate those, you wouldn’t build anything anywhere.

"We have mitigated those: some will be on the council and some will be on the company that builds it.”

He added that the project proved that the authority was investing in the coast.

The chair of the Scarborough and Whitby area committee expressed the “full support of the committee” and thanked the authority “for recognising there might be a small cost overrun, but it is so vital to Whitby that this scheme progresses”.

The Maritime Hub is set to house workshop spaces, a lobster hatchery and marine tanks and would also be used as a training space for people interested in working in the fishing industry.

North Yorkshire Council said the hub would “open doors to new economic growth”.