Mayor Seeks Further Commercial Investment for Scarborough

York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith is expressing his determination to leverage recent success stories, such as the major investment by Schneider Electric, into securing more commercial development opportunities for Scarborough.

The Mayor has highlighted that investments in the area, alongside crucial infrastructure upgrades like those planned for Scarborough Harbour, are key elements in boosting the economy of the Yorkshire Coast.

The recent announcement of a £42 million investment by Schneider Electric in a new manufacturing facility in Scarborough, which is expected to create more than 200 jobs, has been cited by Mayor Skaith as demonstrating the potential of the local economy. Schneider Electric's new facility, located at Scarborough Business Park, specialises in manufacturing low-voltage switchgears critical for energy management and the transition to cleaner energy.

Mayor Skaith previously stated that seeing Schneider make such a substantial investment in Scarborough was "fantastic" and that "Leaders like Schneider attract other manufacturers".

Speaking about the Combined Authority’s ongoing focus on growth, Mayor Skaith affirmed the need to build on this momentum, stating:

“Scarborough's Town Centre particularly has great potential particularly in improving the experience for visitors and creating more jobs for local residents.

We're exploring options to support the development of the Brunswick Centre and as part of the wider redevelopment in Scarborough Town Centre and the train station area as well and my officers are working closely with North Yorkshire Council and the neighbourhoods board to access the best options around how we can support those projects.

In terms of commercial development, we're absolutely determined that making Scarborough more attractive to investors And obviously seeing investments such as Schneider, we're working with Schneider ongoing to see how we can really use that as a sort of almost a flagship and a way to really promote the area and to really make more of that investment of nearly £50 million that came into the region quite recently.”

Mayor Skaith noted that while the investment announcement shows local potential, improving transport links to coastal towns will also be a vital element in driving economic growth in the area.

Alongside commercial development, the Combined Authority led by Mayor Skaith has committed funding to repair and upgrade essential facilities at Scarborough Harbour. The investment is centred on the acquisition and installation of a 150-tonne boat hoist, a project intended to safeguard 15 jobs and improve business supply chains. The initiative is designed to enable boat repairs and maintenance safely, without the restriction of tidal interference.

The boat hoist project is anticipated to support Scarborough's port in becoming more prosperous and attractive, offering an alternative to facilities in Bridlington and being complementary to those found in Whitby. North Yorkshire Council has also suggested the facility could potentially facilitate access to a new market servicing Wind farm Crew Transfer Vessels, which could lead to new skilled job creation.

Mayor Skaith detailed the Combined Authority’s financial commitment and the complexities involved in the harbour project:

“We've provided funding for the boat hoist. Initial ask I think was 700,000. We then increased it by another 250,000 to almost a million pounds.

There is quite a bit of work that needs done on the underpinning and the strength of the harbour.

It is very much a North Yorkshire Council plan, but we have provided that initial funding, but and we are ongoing working with them as to see how that plan can move forward. But there's a lot of complexities and that underpinning of it is going to be quite costly, should we say.”

Previous reports indicated that the total cost of the project would be around £1.75 million, with £700,000 initially approved from the Mayoral Investment Fund. Funding was also set to come from North Yorkshire Council (£550,000) and the UK Seafood Fund (£500,000).