Scarborough Residents Meeting to Discuss Development Plans

Residents of Scarborough are preparing to gather this Thursday evening for a public meeting aimed at bridging the gap between local folk and decision-makers regarding the town's development.

Organised by the residents' action group Scarborough United, the event at the YMCA theatre will serve as a forum for discussing the allocation of £20 million in government funding and the progress of several high-profile local projects.

The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, 8th January, between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm, follows the success of a similar "Town Square" event held in October. Michelle Richardson of Scarborough United explained the purpose of the gathering, highlighting the significance of the new Neighbourhood Board’s involvement.

"We have a full town residence meeting organized for the YMCA this Thursday evening between 7:00 and 9:00 where we discuss generally town development planning assets and services.

However, this meeting the new neighbourhood board have agreed to come and do a presentation on the 20 million pounds government funding allocation for prospective projects in Scarborough.

This is our opportunity to have our say at what we want and how to shape the future planning of our town,"

The group has long advocated for improved transparency and dialogue between the community and local authorities. According to Richardson, this meeting represents a significant milestone in that effort:

"The group itself have campaigned long and hard to open the doors of communication and this is one of the first steps in enabling the town's folk to be heard by the local elected representatives.

So the the neighbourhood board, their advisers and North Yorkshire officers are coming to do the presentation. We are hoping also for attendance by most most if not all of the Scarborough town councillors and some of the North Yorkshire Scarborough councillors".

A recent poll conducted by the group on social media identified several "priority items" that residents are keen to address with officials. These concerns include:

• The general quality of the high street and the prevalence of empty retail units.
• A perceived lack of essential facilities, such as public toilets and a tourist information office.
• Concerns over "wasted projects" that remain unfinished.

Richardson elaborated on these priorities and the open nature of the upcoming forum:

"We did recently run a poll as to the priority items that Scarborough folks would like to address first. 

Generally speaking, the quality of the high street, the empty retail units, the lack of toilet provisions in town, the lack of tourist information office, and the wasted projects that are still waiting to be completed, such as the Atlantis, West Pier, station gateway. All of those subjects will be up for discussion directly with the councillors, with the neighbourhood board.

It's an open discussion forum, so you can come along and ask your questions. It's at the YMCA theatre this Thursday evening between 7 and 9:00 p.m.".

Of particular concern to many residents are the Station Gateway and West Pier projects. Richardson expressed personal reservations about the current designs and their impact on both the transport infrastructure and the local fishing community.

"The two big ones for me are the station gateway project. I think we are not making the most of the opportunity to create a complete transport hub with a bus station and car parking at the rear. I think the front elevation turning circle and allowance for disabled vehicles has been limited with the current design.

The West Pier project obviously is a big one also for the fishing community. We're still waiting for the boat hoist and obviously fishers need facilities but we are looking to curtail interests of tourism on the fisherman's west pier," 

Organisers have emphasised that the meeting is an open and free invitation to all residents, town councillors, and North Yorkshire councillors. Scarborough United stated they expect "open civil and polite questions" and hope for a robust debate that will help "shape the future planning" of the town. Should time constraints prevent all polled issues from being addressed, the group has already scheduled a follow-up meeting for 16th February.

There are more details about the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/1222519409725664