Plans for a major station gateway redevelopment in Scarborough are set to be given formal approval by councillors.
More than three years after plans were first submitted, an extensive redevelopment of Scarborough Station’s public realm and drop-off areas is to be given the green light at a meeting next week.
The works, which have been proposed by North Yorkshire Council, would see the Grade-II listed mid-19th century station’s forecourt upgraded with new public seating, changes to accessible parking, taxi rank, drop-off areas, and the creation of a new pedestrian plaza.
The scheme, which will be discussed by the Scarborough and Whitby Area Planning Committee on Thursday, August 13, includes changes to the pedestrian area at the junction of Westborough, Northway, and Valley Bridge Road.
A major focus of the development is to improve pedestrian accessibility and sustainable transport options around the station and to encourage investment in and around the station area.
“The re-purposing of the station’s forecourt would create an attractive hard and soft landscaping scheme including greenery that gives the area an open and spacious character and would be a considerable improvement over the existing,” according to plans.
While the scheme seeks to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, the layout still affords “a strong degree of priority to vehicles, which remain a dominant feature within the forecourt”.
Two accessible parking bays are set to be created to the west of the station building, with new paving extended in the area.
The northern taxi rank would be replaced by three accessible parking bays, and the southern part of the car park would provide four taxi spaces and two drop-off spaces, while the current mini roundabout at the front of the station building would be replaced by a vehicle turning area.
Some concerns about parking and vehicle access were raised by Scarborough Town Council, while Yorkshire Water objected to the plan as it said it “appears from the submitted site layout that buildings and structures will be sited over public water supply infrastructure”.
Initial proposals for the first phase of the Station Gateway scheme were developed by Scarborough Borough Council and submitted for planning approval in 2022, prior to the launch of North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.
The new proposals are differ from what was approved previously in 2023 “whereby the entire forecourt of the Station was to be pedestrianised”, according to plans and instead “this proposal retains the taxi drop off, turning area and disabled parking within the forecourt; albeit reconfigured to reduce the amount of highway”.
There would also be an increase in the pedestrian area for people approaching the Westborough/Valley Bridge Road junction.
Plans for the redevelopment are set to be funded within the £6.68 million allocated by the Government’s Local Regeneration Fund.
Members of the public are invited to attend the planning meeting at Scarborough Town Hall on Thursday. August 13, starting at 2pm.
By: Anttoni James Numminen, LDRS
