Seafront cafe demolished – Futurist next?
Cafe razed ahead of new development
One of Scarborough’s most prominent seafront buildings was razed to the ground this week.
Diggers moved in at the former Royal Albert Drive cafe and toilets on Monday.
Scarborough Council’s planning committee granted demolition approval in January as it invites offers for the site.
In September, The Scarborough News reported on how an investment group had hit out at Scarborough Council over its handling of the tender process for the former cafe.
Richard Ward works on behalf of a group who had submitted a plan to turn the cafe into a restaurant.
It would have seen the building demolished and rebuilt, with public toilets on the site retained as part of the new building.
The restaurant would have specialised in locally caught seafood in order to pay tribute to the town’s fishing heritage. However, the plan was rejected by the council.
The Scarborough News understands that the plans were rejected because the council wants holiday lets included as part of any development on the site. By demolishing the cafe the council hopes to increase the size of the plot of land in a bid to attract more developers to submit offers.
It may not be the last seafront building to be demolished as Scarborough Council contiues to progress its plans for The Futurist.