Former Michelin-listed Star Inn The Harbour restaurant in Whitby could be turned into lounge bar

Loungers UK has applied for a premises licence for the prime piece of Whitby real estate on Langborne Road that has been empty since 2022. The applicant currently runs the Marisco Lounge in Scarborough.

If the application is approved, the proposed Lounge would be allowed to sell alcohol between 10am and midnight, seven days a week.

The harbour site has some of the heaviest footfall in Whitby and was previously home to the Star Inn the Harbour which shut down in November 2022. The Michelin-listed restaurant closed after owners blamed the former Scarborough Council for a “lack of support” through the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the new applicant, the Lounge will be “a neighbourhood café-bar combining elements of a restaurant, British pub and coffee shop culture”. As of November last year, the Bristol-based company Loungers UK Ltd said it had more than 200 Lounges nationwide, including the Marisco Lounge in Scarborough.

The licensing application also seeks permission for the provision of “late-night refreshments” from 11am to 12:30am, daily.

If approved, the Lounge on the site of Whitby’s former tourist information centre could also sell alcohol for consumption on and off the premises. While a separate licenced seating area is available to enable outdoor seating to be provided, no applications are currently being considered for that.

Public representations regarding the licensing application can be sent to the council by Thursday, March 14. Comments can be sent in writing to North Yorkshire Licensing Services at Scarborough Town Hall.