Plan for 15 industrial warehouses at Whitby Business Park called into question

Councillors are being asked to approve plans for 15 new industrial warehouses on land to the north of Botany Way and Discovery Way.

The application, which was submitted in 2018 by Mr C Middleton, will be discussed by members of Scarborough Council’s Planning and Development Committee when it meets on Thursday November 10.

According to a council report prepared for the meeting, the proposed buildings are numbered 1-16 though there are 15 units in total because there is no number 13.

Submitted plans state that the buildings would be constructed with “profiled metal sheeting” while the lower walls and shallow-pitched roofs would be grey and the upper walls white.

No objections were submitted with regard to the plans, although various conditions have been recommended by the Highway Authority and the Local Flood Authority.

Commenting on the planning application, Andy Jefferson, a member of the public, gave his support for the project but called into question the associated transport assessment.

Though the transport assessment states that the immediate vicinity of the site provides “excellent quality for cyclists”, Mr Jefferson said “there is no cycle infrastructure”, adding that “Whitby does not even have a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan defining what cycle infra is needed, let alone have infra”.

He added: “All of that said, it is no reason to oppose the development per se since cycle infra is in the hands of NYCC.

“The only thing that should be considered is dropping the speed limit across the Whitby Business Park to 20mph to encourage take-up of safe cycling around the park.”

Scarborough Council’s ecologist and biodiversity officer said that the buildings offer “good opportunities for nesting or roosting features” such as bat bricks, swift bricks, and sparrow bricks.

The ecologist also encouraged the inclusion of 10 bat or bird boxes across the site, as well as making suggestions on the inclusion of trees which would “support locally noteworthy butterflies”.

The development is recommended for approval by the local planning authority.