No decision on cliff lift fate until next spring

Whitby's cliff lift was closed in April 2022 due to water damage and corrosion issues

A decision on whether to permanently close a landmark cliff lift will be deferred to next spring, after more than 5,600 people signed a petition to save it.

The lift on Whitby's North Terrace, which opened in 1931, has been out of service since 2022 due to corrosion and water ingress, with repair costs estimated at £5.5m.

North Yorkshire Council said it would invite mining company Anglo American, which helped the authority assess the lift's current condition, to further investigate the impact of water damage over the winter period.

The council said a decision on the lift's future, which was due to have been made this autumn, was now set to be made in March 2026.

The 94-year-old facility consists of a lift within a vertical shaft running down from the cliff top through the boulder clay, leading to a 221ft (67m) pedestrian tunnel out to the beach.

For the last four years the council has run a free subsidised bus service to replace the lift, which has historically not generated any income, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In recent months Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has joined with local councillors to urge council bosses to conduct further investigations into the state of water damage and corrosion.

North Yorkshire Council said Anglo American had made a site visit during the summer, but it recommended the firm revisit during the wetter winter months.

The fate of the replacement bus service also remained unclear, as North Yorkshire Council said the budget for its operation and reserves from which the costs were funded had been "fully utilised".

A spokesperson for the council said the cost of operating the bus service in 2024 was £345 per day, with average daily passenger numbers varying monthly between 11 and 33.

Councillor Phil Trumper, who represents Whitby West Cliff and who started the public petition to save the lift, said deferring a decision on its closure was "good news".

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