Application reveals new details of Scarborough’s ‘Station Gateway’ redevelopment plan

A planning application for the public realm of the ‘station gateway’ redevelopment in Scarborough has been submitted with proposals for relocating the taxi rank, introducing plants, trees, and artwork and prioritising pedestrian access.

Work on the town centre redevelopment is set to begin on Wednesday, August 23 despite the future of the major scheme being put at risk earlier this year when the Government announced that Scarborough Council’s bid for £20m of funding from the second round of Levelling Up grants had been unsuccessful.

However, the public realm phase of the ‘gateway’ redevelopment is set to go ahead this summer with a £6.6m Towns Fund contribution allocated for the scheme.

Planning documents state that the plan focuses on “providing a more pedestrian-friendly environment which gives priority to those choosing to walk and cycle” and will include the relocation of the railway station’s taxi rank.

Key components of the works are set to include the pedestrianisation of the area, in which new landscaping and planting will be provided alongside “street furniture” to provide various seating options, as well as providing barriers to restrict vehicular access.

The application was submitted by Scarborough Council with much of the design work done by Newcastle-based Oobe landscape architects.

The scheme will focus on the public realm aspect of the plan as the failure to gain further Levelling Up Funding impacted the authority’s ability to entirely deliver the Pavilion House refurbishment, redevelopment of the Comet building and delivery of the transport hub and railway station refurbishments.

According to the plan, the relocation of the taxi rank from the front of the building to the existing car park at the rear is “fundamental to the success” of the scheme.

The relocation of the taxi rank to the rear of the building is set to be facilitated by the creation of an internal opening within the station building, which will provide pedestrian access from the station platform heads to the taxi rank.

The “softening of the harsh urban landscape” through the introduction of attractive planting and landscaping is also proposed as well as art installations “celebrating the town’s rich history and cultural heritage”.

The plan notes that works within the station will require the removal of some historic fabric from the building which “would lead to some harm”.

However, the plan suggests that the “limited” harm is outweighed by the “demonstrable public benefits” of enhancing the setting of the listed building and “enabling visitors to better appreciate the site and its aesthetic value”.

North Yorkshire County Council also had its bid for Levelling Up Funding – which included a proposed upgrade to rail infrastructure in Scarborough borough – rejected earlier this year. The authority, along with SBC, has since been disbanded and replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

Scarborough station opened on Monday, July 7 1845, following the completion of the line from York and reputedly features the longest railway bench in the world, measuring 456-foot (139 m) in length.