North Yorkshire Council has held a ‘very positive’ discussion with Anglo American about resolving issues with Whitby’s Cliff Lift, a local councillor has said.
North Yorkshire Council is facing cross-party pressure from politicians and campaigners in the face of its proposal to fill in the Whitby Cliff Lift at a cost of £600,000.
More than 5,400 people have signed a petition to save the cliff lift which was shut in 2022 after the discovery of structural corrosion.
Coun Phil Trumper, who represents the Whitby West division, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the mining company Anglo American had had a “really positive” discussion with the authority about offering assistance in evaluating the lift’s condition.
However, there have been no updates on residents’ calls for the council to hold a consultation on its proposed infilling, in addition to a current consultation on the free replacement bus service run during the summer.
The Cliff Lift was opened in 1931 and consists of a lift within a vertical shaft running down from the cliff top through the boulder clay, leading to a 221ft long pedestrian tunnel out to the beach.
Coun Trumper said:
“The last update I got from Anglo American was that they’ve had a really positive conversation with NYC regarding having a look at mainly the water ingress, and seeing what possibly could be done, and how to resolve that issue.”
Speaking to the LDRS on Monday, August 11, he added:
“That’s really what the major issue is with the very high cost of repair.”
The council’s corporate director for environment, Karl Battersby, said that while it would be possible to restore the lift to working order, it would come at “a significant cost and the effects of water and ventilation issues would continue to pose challenges”.
Asked about whether he had pressed North Yorkshire Council to reconsider holding a consultation on the cliff lift’s closure, Coun Trumper said it was “hopefully a chat I’ll be having very soon”.
When asked if he was optimistic that a consultation would be held, he told the LDRS: “We’ll wait and see.”
A spokesperson for Anglo American confirmed to the LDRS that it had offered the council support from its engineers.
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