Plans to build a Zip line attraction in Scarborough's North Bay have been delayed after planners deferred a decision on the scheme.
Planning officers had recommended rejecting the proposal but councillors voted to defer the decision to allow the firm behind the project to come back with revised designs for the 35 meter tall launch tower and 19 meter tall landing tower.
Concerns were raised over the visual impact of the towers.
Councillor Rich Maw thinks a solution could be found.
The line would have a 35 meter tall launch tower on the former Marvels Leisure Park.
There would also be a 19m tall landing tower on land between the Cleveland Way and Scalby Mills Station.
The zip line attraction would include several wires between the two steel-framed towers, across a distance of 650m in length.
Councillors on the planning committee were concerned about the appearance of the towers and have asked the company behind the scheme to come back with revised designs.
Councillor Subash Sharma was in favour of rejecting the scheme completely, he doesn't think the location is right.
The Zip Line attraction has been proposed by Big Bang Promotions, owner James Field said there would a significant economic benefit for the town if the attraction was built.
A report to a meeting of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Planning Committee recommended refusing permission for the scheme stating:
"The main issues are the effect of the proposal on the setting of heritage assets and the character and appearance of the area, and whether the public benefits of the scheme and material considerations would outweigh any identified harm."
"the proposal would conflict with the related policy criteria and other development plan policies which seek to protect Scarborough’s heritage and the character and appearance of the area. Whilst the proposal is acceptable in principle and would result in ‘less than substantial harm’ (in the language of the NPPF) to the setting of the Scarborough Conservation Area, it would result in significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and thereby conflict with the development plan overall."
"Officers’ advice is that great weight should be given to conservation of heritage assets, and that significant weight should be given to the harm to the character and appearance of the area. Furthermore, it is considered that there are no public benefits or material considerations, including the tourism benefits of the scheme, which outweigh the identified harm and resultant policy conflicts to suggest that a decision should be made other than in accordance with the development plan. Refusal is therefore recommended."
The planning committee were split over the decision with three councillors backing the call to refuse the scheme, among them was Councillor Subash Sharma who felt that deferring the scheme wasn't the right solution, he backed refusing the scheme completely with the applicant then able to prepare a new submission for something "radically different".
Councillor Rich Maw disagreed, he was among the four councillors who backed the deferral of the decision.
40 letters of objection to the Zip Wire plan had been received by North Yorkshire Council as well as 170 letters of support for the plan.
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