Scarborough Council shares ideas to rejuvenate town's harbour

Earlier this year, Scarborough Council started an 18-month process to create a vision for the town’s famous port.

It followed an investigation into the future of the town’s fishing industry which suggested that efforts are made to capitalise on the town’s rich heritage, which could see the creation of a trademark ‘Scarborough Fare’ to rival the likes of the Cornish Cream Tea.

Now, the scope of the overarching port strategy has been revealed.

A report written by the council’s Acting Regeneration Services manager Alex Richards, which will be presented to the authority’s overview and scrutiny board on Wednesday, says a “holistic” review of the harbour will be carried out.

His department has written a brief which will be used by the council’s chosen consultant to create the full masterplan and harbour strategy.

In it, it is stated that the piers are a vital part of the town’s tourism economy as well as its commercial economy.

The brief states: “The wharves and piers of the harbour are open to the public and are considered to be part of the attraction of the town and are public promenades and visitor attractions in their own right.

“Moving forward the Harbour is also ideally located to capitalise on the development of the North Sea offshore renewable sector by acting as complementary port to Whitby for the berthing of offshore wind support vessels.

“The council therefore wish to build on this rich history, the current and future opportunities and to put in place proposals to secure a viable future for the port. ”

One of the areas of focus for the masterplan is how to take advantage of new opportunities for tourism and commercial fishing.

The brief also sets out that the council wants to create a “welcoming environment for innovation, business and investment” while also recognising the “historic role” of the harbour in the community.

In order to drive the changes, the masterplan should look at ways to redevelop the West Pier as well as how to encourage more commercial concessions in the harbour and undertake works to allow heavy vehicle movements on the North Wharf.

Following the input of the overview and scrutiny board, the brief masterplan will go to the council’s cabinet, which will then be asked to invite tenders from prospective consultants to come up with a full and comprehensive strategy.

The appointed consultant will be expected to consult with harbour users and local businesses and it is hoped the masterplan will be completed by June of 2019.