Changes proposed to major Station Gateway project

​Scarborough’s proposed Station Gateway redevelopment could be amended as part of a plan to improve the coherence and practicality of the multimillion-pound scheme.

​The project includes a series of suggested public realm improvements aiming to create a more welcoming public space for residents and visitors.

​A new proposal would see the demolition of five 1930s curtilage-listed, brick-built boundary wall planters, and the demolition of a small section of the 1840s station yard boundary wall.

​Additionally, damaged stone flags and kerbing abutting the western pavilion and recessed link section of the station building, located to the east of the Railwaymen’s Social Club, would be removed.

​Despite plans to pedestrianise the station area, the council has said that a fully vehicle-free forecourt is not achievable “while maintaining the necessary operational functions of the station, particularly the taxi rank, disabled parking and essential maintenance access”.

​Earlier this year, town councillors raised concerns about the low number of drop-off spaces that had been proposed.

​“The heritage objective of achieving a calmer and more coherent setting to the listed station remains important,” the new scheme states.

​Plans for the wider redevelopment would be funded using £6.68 million allocated from the Government’s Local Regeneration Fund.

​Conservation officers said that the current scheme would give rise to “less than substantial harm but also confirmed that there is potential for full support subject to amendment and further justification”.

​North Yorkshire Council previously said: “New outdoor seating areas, resurfaced footpaths and tree planting have been proposed as part of the project along with enhanced accessible parking and improved pedestrian access to the station and nearby transport links.

​​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.

​​Following further work by North Yorkshire Council, the Scarborough Neighbourhood Board and other key stakeholders, the designs have since been refined with a greater focus on improving the immediate area around the front of the station.