Whitby Maritime Hub: Plans submitted for £10m centre

The new centre would be based at Endeavour Wharf

A planning application has been lodged for a £10m maritime centre to celebrate a seaside town's "proud fishing and sailing heritage".

North Yorkshire Council has submitted plans for the Whitby Maritime Hub at Endeavour Wharf.

If approved, the scheme would be funded through £17.1m awarded by the government's Towns Fund.

The council said the hub would offer training for maritime industries and "open doors to new economic growth".

The council's chief executive Richard Flinton said: "Submitting the planning application is an exciting step forward for this project.

"The Maritime Hub will open doors to new economic growth in Whitby and help provide a route for young people into the maritime and marine industries."

Whitby's Harbour Authority would be based at the hub

The council said concerns about the hub being located on a flood plain had been mitigated as "the building will be designed to flood".

The council's corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, said suggestions to use Eskdale School's site following its merger with Caedmon College this summer were not "suitable".

"Existing and potential future tenants of the wharf have stated they need direct access to the water," he said.

According to plans, Endeavour Wharf would still retain around 200 parking spaces and the height of the hub would match surrounding buildings.

The council said the project would put the town at the "forefront" of the offshore renewable energy sector.

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

There would also be classroom space, engineering workshops and marine biology laboratories, offering opportunities for training and employment in areas ranging from marine biology to off-shore wind.

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