Tourism and business fears grow over council’s big move

CONTENTIOUS plans to relocate a council headquarters from an historic town hall to a business park have promoted grave fears that the move would undermine tourism and trade.

The relocation of Scarborough Borough Council’s main base out of the town centre has been on the cards for several years, although councillors were told in January 2010 that the scheme had been put on the back-burner.

But the Yorkshire Post has learnt that a move is once again a serious possibility, with the empty Scarborough Building Society building in Eastfield a leading contender for the new headquarters.

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The deputy leader of the council’s Labour group, Councillor Colin Challen, has warned that a move away from the town hall could leave a major question mark hanging over such a key site in the centre of Scarborough.

He urged caution amid the ongoing economic slump, and warned that the heart of Scarborough could be blighted by a stalled regeneration project similar to the problems which have been experienced in the centre of Bradford.

He said: “This is a momentous decision for the future of Scarborough town centre, and we want the widest and earliest public consultation possible.

“We do not want to be presented with a fait accompli, when plans are so advanced down the line that all we can do is dot the Is and cross the Ts.”

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Scarborough Town Hall was opened in 1901 by Princess Beatrice of Battenburg, daughter of Queen Victoria, after it had been bought by the then Scarborough Corporation from a leading local businessman, John Woodall.

The existing St Nicholas Street complex has high heating, lighting, and maintenance costs, according to officials who admitted it will not measure up to support energy saving targets and more flexible staff working patterns.

But Coun Challen stressed a series of issues needed to be addressed before any relocation is undertaken, including reassurances over access to a new council base and how Scarborough’s architectural heritage will be preserved.

A council spokeswoman confirmed a report will be go before the council’s cabinet in September to “outline options for future accommodation provision”.

Council leader Tom Fox was not available for comment yesterday.