Scarborough's Mayoral Development Zone To Go Far Beyond Brunswick Centre

A new Mayoral Development Zone will tackle systemic issues and drive economic growth across Scarborough, extending far beyond the redevelopment of the vacant Brunswick Centre.

Town centre regeneration, housing and employment growth will accelerate across Scarborough following the creation of a new Mayoral Development Zone.

The major regeneration project will tackle poor health outcomes, education and wages in the coastal town, extending far beyond an initial eight million pound capital investment to reopen the vacant Brunswick Centre.

Local residents and visitors will benefit from a stronger year-round destination, as the scheme encompasses the entire town, including the station to shore masterplan area, the harbour, and major housing and employment sites to the south, according to the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

A total of seven million pounds is earmarked to transform the Brunswick Centre into a new cinema and mixed-use leisure destination, removing a significant eyesore from the high street and supporting hundreds of direct jobs.

An immediate one million pounds has been released to unlock the pre-construction phase of the redevelopment. This initial sum will be matched by one million pounds from North Yorkshire Council and a further one million pounds from the Pride in Place Board, officials confirmed.

However, an additional one million pounds of devolved mayoral funding will be ring-fenced to improve the station quarter and connectivity to the high street, marking a broader commitment to the town's future.

Combined Authority Director of Economy Andy Kerr said:

"It isn't just about the Brunswick Centre. It's about setting a commitment to the whole station to shore master plan. So, in addition to the £7 million for the Brunswick Centre, a further £1 million will be ring-fenced to improve the station quarter and the connectivity to the high street.

Taken as a whole, this major investment of devolved mayoral funding and the creation of a Scarborough mayoral development zone will serve as a catalyst to revitalize Scarborough for local residents, providing an improved year-round offer for visitors, and leverage in private sector investment to drive inclusive economic growth in our coastal region."

The creation of the zone aims to address long-standing inequalities faced by the coastal community.

York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said:

"Scarborough is a really special place for so many people with thriving creative culture, a very rich history. It's a place of great potential, and it's incumbent on us to live up to that.

Because as with so many coastal communities, unfortunately, people who live here face poorer health outcomes, education, and wage and unemployment. This isn't fair, and it's not right, which is at the heart of what the mayoral development zone must tackle.

That's why its four priorities are town centre regeneration, leisure and tourism development at North Bay, housing growth, and the employment growth as well.

Bringing together the public and private sectors, working alongside the council, the pride and place board, the mayoral development zone is going to tackle the systemic issues that have prevented the town from realizing its potential in the past."

A new advisory board will oversee the strategic investments and convene partners across the public and private sectors.

Chaired by the mayor, with the lead combined authority cabinet member of North Yorkshire Council acting as deputy chair, the board will also include representation from business and tourism groups.

This coordinated approach will ensure all development opportunities across the town are connected, running alongside a recent two million pound commitment for a new Scarborough construction skills village.

Mayor David Skaith added:

"The Mayoral development zone is really bringing together all the great opportunities that are in Scarborough, bringing them all together under one umbrella so they're all talking to one another. But it's about giving opportunities for people of Scarborough. So it's driving investment, creating those opportunities, creating new jobs and bringing the whole of the area back to life and giving it the great the great opportunity that we know are here."

The strategic boundary of the development zone has been drawn to include key maritime and infrastructure assets as well as the town centre.

North Yorkshire Council Leader Councillor Carl Les has welcomed the development and it's broad nature:

"I do welcome this. It shows that many of us are coming together and working together to help to improve the Scarborough economy, which is so important to to the county of North Yorkshire.

I'm pleased that the red line also includes the harbour, that we haven't excluded the harbour from that.

This is very much a start, it's an important decision we're taking today, but it is only a start. And I do welcome the the comments about the importance of the investment we need to make into the Brunswick centre to remove that sort of blight from the centre of the of the retail offering in the town."