Invitation to public on coast enterprise

Scarborough Council is looking to the glean the public’s views about which sort of developments should take precedence across the district.

Scarborough has already carved out a burgeoning reputation for new business after being crowned the most enterprising place in Britain in the Enterprising Britain 2008 Awards.

It has attracted about £100m of new investment throughout the past decade, but the borough is now aiming to capitalise on the arrival of more major enterprise.

Scarborough is seen as one of the key locations to support the world’s largest offshore wind farm which is due to be built nearly 80 miles off the Yorkshire coast at Dogger Bank to generate up to 10 per cent of the nation’s electricity.

Plans are also being drawn up for a major potash mine centred on the neighbouring North York Moors National Park, which would create up to 5,000 jobs.

The borough council is now urging the public to have their say on what sort of developments should be created in the area, including those to support the new industries.

The consultation will look at proposed schemes for towns and villages and how areas can be developed to stimulate enterprise. It will also look at how to preserve the rural landscapes as well as boosting public transport and tourism.

The council’s forward planning manager, David Walker, said: “This survey is a chance for residents themselves to influence the future policies that will ultimately determine whether some planning applications are granted and others rejected.”

The results of the survey, which began on Friday, will be used to shape a planning blueprint, the Local Development Framework.