Holiday lets in 'historic medieval' part of town on Yorkshire coast given go-ahead

Located in central Scarborough to the west of Queen Street, the demolition and construction plans were approved by Scarborough Council on Tuesday September 20 despite some public objections.

The to-be-demolished workshop adjoins existing garaging and is located within a courtyard to the rear of Queen Street which can be accessed via a cobbled lane.

The workshop, which has been constructed using a corrugated asbestos roof and a dilapidated timber garage door, has “no reasonable prospect of retaining the use of the premises as a viable workshop” according to the council.

Meanwhile, the new building is set to be a two-storey gable building which would continue to adjoin the garages to the east, with a tiled pitched roof, reaching 6.2 metres in ridge height.

Located within the designated Scarborough conservation area, the site could be an area of archaeological interest as it is within the historic mediaval town of Scarborough.

According to the County Archaeologist, deposits in the ground could “help to advance our understanding of life in the mediaeval and later town” and recommended that “in order to ensure that a detailed record is made of any deposits and remains,” a scheme of archaeological mitigation recording should be undertaken.

The Highway Authority noted that manoeuvring “within the access will be difficult for all vehicles and therefore it must be shown that access to all properties can be maintained”.

Three objections were raised by members of the public during the consultation period, with several comments about vehicular and pedestrian access also registered.

One comment stated that “the alley adjacent to the side is also a shared pedestrian access leading to the rear of the public house” while another said there is “limited space for cars to manoeuvre within the site and ability to exit in a forward-facing position”.

A further comment suggested that “residential accommodation is not considered suitable for this area” and another asked if there would be “sufficient space for bin storage”.

Scarborough Council’s planning officers said that “the proposal for visitor accommodation is viewed positively” and added that the new building would “result in an enhancement where a dilapidated structure currently stands”.

As for concerns about parking, the council said that further consultation with the Highway Authority indicated it was “satisfied access and turning within the site can be achieved”.

The council approved the application subject to various conditions including archaeological research requirements and a commitment to protecting and restoring the cobblestone lane.