
Parkol Marine Engineering could lease a commercial workshop space within Whitby's new Maritime Hub.
A multi-million pound scheme that aims to drive forward economic growth on the North Yorkshire coast by boosting training and job opportunities has received interest from local businesses.
Work has started on the construction of the Whitby Maritime Training Hub which hopes to establish the port as a key player in the maritime sector.
The dedicated centre on Endeavour Wharf will provide engineering workshops and business space for a range of maritime industries, as well as first-class training facilities to inspire the next generation of skilled professionals and apprentices.
Prospective tenants for the building, which hopes to provide a greater breadth of careers in the historic port, are now being sought by North Yorkshire Council.
Members of the council’s executive will be asked on Tuesday next week (July 15) to enter into a five-year tenancy agreement with Whitby-based boat builder Parkol Marine Engineering, which wants to lease a commercial workshop space within the hub.
North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, was among a number of leading figures behind the project who recently visited the site to witness the hub’s early progress.
Cllr Les said:
“The construction of the maritime hub is all about driving economic growth on the coast by providing a sustainable range of job opportunities that protects and enhances Whitby’s thriving future.
“It is important that we deliver a high-quality facility that we hope captures the imagination of maritime businesses, inspires the next generation of skilled workers, and brings wider benefits to the region.
“We are in the process of speaking with interested businesses who are keen to lease commercial space within the hub, when it is due to open in April next year.
“Members of the executive will carefully consider these proposals next week.”
The funding for the project, which is expected to cost £10 million, will come from the £17.1 million given to Whitby as part of the Government’s Town Deals programme.
A total of £37.3 million was awarded under the programme to Whitby and Scarborough in 2021.
North Yorkshire Council will initially manage the facility, which has been designed to blend in with the existing views of the town.
The Council says that as part of the planning process, 69 per cent of people who submitted their views in a public consultation held last year stated they were supportive of the building of the maritime hub.
Nationally-recognised developer, Willmott Dixon, is leading on the construction, while the council-owned property consultancy Align Property Partners is taking on the scheme’s project management administration.
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