Plan for £10m Whitby Maritime Hub approved

The new centre will be based at Endeavour Wharf

Plans to build a £10m maritime hub to celebrate Whitby's "proud fishing and sailing heritage" have been approved.

Councillors voted on Tuesday to unanimously green-light the centre at the seaside town's Endeavour Wharf, despite dozens of objections.

The scheme, funded through £17.1m awarded by the government's Towns Fund, is set to house workshop spaces, a lobster hatchery and marine tanks.

The building would also be used as a training space for people interested in working in the fishing industry, North Yorkshire Council said.

The council said the hub would "open doors to new economic growth", but 59 residents objected to the plans.

Many suggested the building design did not fit the character of the area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Speaking at the council’s strategic planning meeting, Claire Plant, agent for the application, said its aim was "the rebirth of Whitby's maritime industry".

“It’s anticipated that the space will not only have a local impact but also regional and national interest in developing maritime skills and increasing activity in this area," she said.

'Vote of confidence'

Councillor David Jeffels, a Conservative who represents the Derwent Valley and Moor ward, said: "It will allow Whitby to compete with many other ports around the country and I see it as a vote of confidence in Whitby as a town.”

Workshops on the ground and first floors of the centre would house current and new wharf-based operations along with the functions of the Harbour Authority.

There would also be classroom space, engineering workshops and marine biology laboratories, the council said.

The second floor would be an office space for marine-based start-up businesses and other maritime industries.

Whitby Town Council said it supported the plan but called for “alternative parking to be developed elsewhere” to compensate for a 35% reduction in spaces lost due to the construction.

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