Plans Submitted for Whitby’s £10m Maritime Hub

Plans for Whitby’s £10m Maritime Hub that seeks the ‘rebirth of industry’ in the town have been officially submitted.

Plans have been submitted for the construction of a multi-million pound, three-storey maritime centre at Endeavour Wharf, on Langborne Road, Whitby that could provide space for businesses and employment opportunities.

The hub – which is funded through £17.1m awarded by the government’s Towns Fund – aims to “drive the rebirth of the town’s maritime industry by providing new opportunities” including workshops, laboratories, and space for start-ups.

The hub will provide training and certification opportunities for the maritime, marine and offshore industries, to residents of Whitby and the wider area.

The application has been submitted following a public consultation in January and February when 69 per cent of those who responded to the survey were supportive of the scheme.

North Yorkshire Council’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, said:

“Submitting the planning application is an exciting step forward for this project.

“The Maritime Hub will open doors to new economic growth in Whitby and help provide a route for young people into the maritime and marine industries.

“I encourage everyone in the community to look at the plans on our website and leave comments if they wish.”

The majority of the site has been used as a public car park for the past 20 years and the north and east sides provide access to moored vessels for loading and unloading goods.

Endeavour Wharf is still set to retain around 200 parking spaces.

North Yorkshire Council said that if its plan was approved, the hub would place Whitby at the

“forefront of the expanding offshore renewable industries in the North Sea and will also boost job opportunities for the local community”.

The council’s corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, said:

“Endeavour Wharf will still retain around 200 parking spaces and the height of the Maritime Hub will match the surrounding buildings such as The Angel Hotel.

“We have received some suggestions that following Eskdale School’s merger with Caedmon College this summer, the school site would be a better location. But existing and potential future tenants of the wharf have stated they need direct access to the water and as such the school site would not be a suitable alternative.”

The 0.9-hectare area on Langborne Road is opposite a supermarket building and Whitby Station.

The proposed building would provide workshops on the ground floor that would house the current wharf operations of the Harbour Authority, as well as provide space for marine biology and an expansion of “emerging industries” including offshore wind.

The Harbour Master’s office would be on the first floor whilst space for start-ups and existing maritime businesses would be on the first and second floors.

Local, regional, and national businesses and organisations could occupy these spaces, the council hopes, increasing Whitby’s maritime activity.

The council says that concerns about the hub being located on a flood plain have also been mitigated as the building will be designed to flood. In the event of a flood, the ground floor units will allow water to enter, and all services will be raised above one metre. After water levels drop, the units would be easily washed out.

However, concerns have been raised by some groups about the level of engagement with calls for the project to be halted and reviewed.

In a town poll held last autumn – which had a turnout of 3 per cent – a majority of residents said that Whitby Town Council should “petition the Department for Levelling Up to halt and re-examine” the scheme.

Whitby Community Network said that

“the problem with the Town Deal project for the Maritime Hub is that the majority of residents simply do not know about them, due to a background of poor communication and inadequate consultation”.

North Yorkshire Council says that the planning consultation process included

“at least nine public events and exhibitions, more than 30,000 engagements/views via electronic and social and traditional media and more than 400 direct contributions, 10 Town Deal Board meetings and over 30 development meetings,”

It added that

“69 per cent of those who responded to the survey were supportive of the scheme”.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Derek Bastiman, said he believed the hub would

“open the door to new economic and tourism growth for Whitby and Scarborough”.

The application is currently being considered by the planning authority and residents can make representations to the council.

Documents associated with the planning applications are available at www.northyorks.gov.uk/MaritimeHubPlanningApplication