Almost £1 million of additional funding for Whitby’s Maritime Hub has been approved by councillors in order to complete the project.
Councillors have approved £950,000 of spending for internal works and additional construction costs at Whitby’s Maritime Hub, which was originally forecast to cost £10 million.
At a meeting, last Tuesday, May 26, council bosses welcomed the progress of external works and said that approving the additional funding was a “good decision”.
£823,000 will be used from the Whitby Harbour Reserve to fund the fitting out of floors one and two, while a further £126,000 will be spent to meet “additional construction costs”.
Cllr Mark Crane, executive member for open to business, said:
" I think the news on Whitby Maritime Hub is very positive. The Maritime Hub is just about finished externally, so it's only for the fit-out. And already it looks a positive part of the Whitby seafront, and I think the opportunities for young people to get into industries to do with maritime issues is a positive one, and I hope the residents of Whitby will feel very positive about what's been delivered there with government money in the first place, but with this council putting significant sums in. And the fact that we've got so many businesses and institutions wanting to take part in that is a positive piece of news, I think, for this council and the people of Whitby too."
The scheme, funded through £17.1m awarded by the government, will house workshop spaces, marine tanks, and will be used as a training space for people interested in working in the fishing industry.
According to a council report, the Maritime Hub is “largely complete with tenancies secured”.
It noted that the cost of fitting out the first floor is £378,000, with an estimate of £445,000 for the second floor, having been omitted from the original approval.
The additional costs of £823,000 will be met from the Whitby Harbour Reserve with the “expectation” that revenues generated by the hub will be credited to the reserve to pay back the investment.
A further £126,000 is required from the Whitby Harbour Reserve to “meet additional construction costs in relation to supervision/management and weather-related compensation events”.
Gary Fielding, corporate director of resources, said:
"There is a request here for additional costs of circa £823,000 to be provided in order to fit out the Maritime Hub, to make sure that tenants can be found and that will be charged to the Whitby Harbour Reserve, which is, as you'll be aware, now a ring-fenced reserve.
"So there is ample funds within the Whitby Harbour Reserve for that to happen and that represents a progressive move."
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