North Yorkshire's coastal councillors have said they are unanimously in favour of Whitby Clift Lift being repaired and reopened ahead of a plan to permanently close it later this month.
A motion calling on North Yorkshire Council bosses to urgently reconsider their plan to permanently shut Whitby’s historic Cliff Lift in the interest of residents and visitors has been passed unanimously.
At a packed meeting on Monday (March 2) dozens of residents gathered at Whitby Pavilion and told councillors that the landmark lift “is not a luxury, it’s a necessity”.
The lift on Whitby’s North Terrace, which opened in 1931, has been out of service since 2022 due to corrosion and water ingress, with “worst-case” repair costs estimated at £5.5 million.
The cost of the options to decommission the lift ranges from £199,000 to £538,000.
Cllr David Chance, who used to work at the Cliff Lift in 1964, said:
“It was always damp in the tunnel.
“I think the £5 million figure has been plucked out of the air to justify inaction. I think that was the aim of Scarborough Borough Council to kick it down the road.
“I’m absolutely convinced that it should be repaired.”
Speaking at the meeting, a local resident said that the council’s replacement bus service – the future of which is uncertain – was not adequate for elderly people and those with disabilities and asked:
“How is it right to deny many people with disabilities access to our beautiful Blue Flag beach?”
Chris Bourne, the council’s head of harbours and coastal infrastructure, said the council was not denying disabled people access to the beach and that slipways and ramps could also be used.
Cllr Rich Maw said
“We cannot row back on accessibility options”.
“NYC has accrued capital in reserves, and we should send a message to the executive that it has to commit to restoring the lift.”
Councillors also highlighted the importance of maintaining the lift in a town where tourism is of major economic importance and which “benefits the rest of the county”.
Cllr Janet Jefferson said:
“We have to preserve our economy and employment.”
Former chairman of the British Resorts Association, Cllr David Jeffels, said:
“We need to look at the wider picture.
“I think a case can be made for making the Cliff Lift a heritage feature, where everyone can go, not just disabled people and the elderly. In Scarborough, we lost the cliff lift on the North Bay, and it’s still sorely missed decades later.”
A motion was passed recognising the importance of the historic heritage asset for Whitby and “requesting that the executive looks again at the Cliff Lift with a view to repairing and reopening it”.
The motion added that there was a “lack of information to support robust decision-making” and an up-to-date survey with robust costings and a business plan should be completed to “ensure the valuable asset remains as a going concern for residents and visitors of Whitby”.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive committee is set to make a decision on the Cliff Lift’s future at a meeting on March 17.
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