Demolition plan for lifeboat base as rescuers prepare for new boat

The existing 70-year-old boathouse in Scarborough will be too small for the town’s replacement £2m Shannon class rescue boat and The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which has had a station at Scarborough for more than 200 years, is seeking approval to demolish the existing station and build a replacement.

David Walker, Scarborough Borough Council’s planning services manager, who is recommending the plans are backed by councillors, says in a report prepared for members that the new station will be a contemporary design and will have the appearance of being a collection of smaller buildings, to reflect the historic character of the seafront.

“The proposed location of the building, its larger scale and sizeable plinth, will make it a focal point within the area,” he said.

“It will be more visually intrusive than the existing lifeboat station, but it will be a key point in views from Foreshore Road, South Bay beach and in views from further afield,” said Mr Walker.

Objectors have raised concerns about the building’s design, with one saying it is too high to blend in with its surroundings and another claiming it is a “monstrosity”.

The new station will be built on a plinth on a site nearer the sea and will also include a lifeguard station.

The new boathouse will replace the old building on Foreshore Road, which dates back to 1940.

The current Mersey class lifeboat at Scarborough will be replaced next year by the newest member of the RNLI fleet, a Shannon class lifeboat.

Capable of 25 knots, the Shannon is 50 per cent faster than the Mersey class and can be launched more quickly using a launch/recovery vehicle called a Supacat which itself costs £1.5m.

Members of the council’s planning and development committee will meet on Thursday.