Approval for plan to end ‘blight’ of vacant Scarborough premises

​A “carrot and stick” pilot project in Scarborough has been approved by North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee and could see it use compulsory purchase orders to address the “blight of empty and increasingly derelict properties” on high streets.

​The scheme will see the introduction of new powers that allow local authorities to require landlords to rent out “persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants such as local businesses or community groups”.

​Following its approval at a meeting on Tuesday, March 17, preparatory work will start immediately, and the high street rental auction process could start as early as May.

​Cllr Mark Crane, executive member for open to business, said: “We decided on Scarborough because of the number of empty properties,

​“We want to work with owners of vacant commercial properties to help drive footfall in the area.”

​He added: “We could compulsorily purchase the properties, but I’m not sure we want to do that. It’s a bit of a carrot and stick approach, and hopefully we can increase the number of shops for people living and visiting there.”

​Scarborough has the highest town centre vacancy rate in the county at 18.6 per cent, followed by Malton at 17.1 per cent, while Whitby has a vacancy rate of just 7.6 per cent, according to a council report.

​​The council said its previous strategies, including offering fully funded vinyl wraps for vacant properties, had failed.

​Properties that have been vacant for more than a year in the past two years would be eligible if they are deemed suitable for high street use, such as retail, offices, public services, hospitality, entertainment, or light industry.

​NYC stated that the properties would also need to be considered beneficial to the local economy, society, or environment if occupied.

​Cllr Liz Colling, chair of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee, said: “It’s a marvellous opportunity and there are plenty of places that are vacant.”

​Nic Harne, NYC’s corporate director for community development, said: “These are very new powers and just by bringing this in, we can bring landlords to the table.”

​​A report prepared for the executive committee meeting stated: “Increasingly, the condition of the town centre of Scarborough, in particular Huntriss Row, where there is a concentration of vacant premises, is being raised with the Council.

​​“Given the lack of impact of earlier initiatives, the limits of existing powers and the local imperative to tackle the issue, it is proposed the council pilots the use of the new high street rental auction (HSRA) powers to compel landlords to improve the vacant premises and secure new tenants.”

​​The HSRA process takes around 22 to 24 weeks to complete.

​Cllr Heather Phillips, executive member for corporate services, told colleagues: “The state of some of the buildings in Scarborough is horrendous and we have a history of landlords hanging on to their properties.

​“The prospect of them having their properties taken off their hands might encourage them to let their properties, and that’s encouraging.”

​However, at the meeting, councillors also criticised the combined authority’s elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire for what they described as an absence from the development of the scheme.

​Cllr Richard Foster, executive member for managing the environment, said: “The mayor is supposed to be the man of economic development – it’s a Labour policy and I thought the Labour mayor would have been all over this, but he hasn’t shown his face at all.

​“After all, he’s the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and that includes Scarborough.”

​Cllr Crane said: “I completely agree with you about David Skaith.”