Resort's £11m harbour plans take step forward

North Yorkshire Council say the regeneration scheme would breathe new life into the heart of Scarborough’s South Bay

Multimillion-pound plans to redevelop Scarborough's West Pier have taken a major step forward despite accusations the development is a "land grab".

Senior North Yorkshire councillors have unanimously agreed to allocate some land at the site for "non-harbour" purposes as part of the £11m scheme.

The council plans to make it a tourist attraction, including event space and seafood restaurant, as well as a harbour to stimulate the local economy and celebrate the town's fishing heritage.

Dozens of objections have been submitted against the plans with one fisherman telling the BBC the plan would make the harbour "touristy".

More than 50 people have objected to the scheme

The proposals will be funded by a £20.2m Towns Fund grant given to Scarborough in 2021.

The plans also include new buildings for some businesses as well as new facilities for the local fishing fleet.

Mark Crane, the senior Conservative councillor responsible for business, said: "Overall this is a really good news story for Scarborough.

"We will hopefully see an increase in tourism there.

"We will hopefully see an increase in the town's economy and hopefully it will just be a better place to go and visit."

Fisherman Fred Normandale does not support the proposals

However, local fisherman Fred Normandale is against the plans - describing them as a land grab.

He told BBC Radio York: "They are wanting to take it over and make it touristy. We've got a hundred empty shops in the town.

"There are no empty shops on Sandside, not one. They're wanting to make more shops on the pier, why?

"What are they going to put on here that is not already there?"

Jim Grieve says he wants to see more tourists staying in the town for longer

Scarborough businessman Jim Grieve is part of the local hospitality industry and supports the plans.

He said the current buildings on the pier were not fit for purpose.

"The West Pier has needed redeveloping for years, you can see when you look around it that it is held up by scaffolding," he said.

"The buildings that are sat on top of this pier are derelict and falling down," he added.

'Scarborough has to modernise'

Mr Grieve said he wanted holidaymakers to stay in the town for longer and thought making the pier more attractive and a place to hold events would bring more visitors to the area.

When asked about the strength of opposition to the plans, Mr Grieve said: "We have a very, very strong fishing heritage here in Scarborough, I'm not surprised that there's obviously a lot of fear of change.

"But, Scarborough has to modernise and Scarborough has to come forward - we're not 1985 anymore."

Planners are due to make a final decision on the proposals in August.