Planners urge hotel go-ahead in spite of woods fear

CONTROVERSIAL PLANS for a £40m expansion by one of the coast’s most luxurious hotels look set to be given the go-ahead, despite a wave of opposition over fears the loss of “irreplaceable” ancient woodland.

The Raithwaite Estate, between Sandsend and Whitby, has put forward proposals to build a holiday village complex, with the introduction of 64 cottages, 64 apartments, 62 forest lodges, a restaurant, swimming pool, gym, tennis court, café, crèche and a shop.

A report set to go before Scarborough Borough Council’s planning committee has recommended the scheme for approval, with officers believing it will provide “an exciting expansion of the tourism accommodation and facilities”.

But it warns that the benefits of the development “need to be balanced against the impacts on the ancient woodland within the site”.

Objections have been raised from a number of groups, including The Woodland Trust and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which say that the plans will destroy “irreplaceable” ancient woodland, affecting wildlife living there.

Conservation officer at the Wildlife Trust Sara Robin said: “The council will need to be certain that the benefits of the application will be sufficient to outweigh the loss of the ancient woodland.

“The woodland around the North York Moors is particularly important for bats which are very sensitive to the effects of lighting and disturbance.

“A bat survey for the site revealed evidence of five bat species and possible indication that Serotine bats may use the woodland.

“If so, this could be the first record of this rare bat species in North Yorkshire and the most northerly record in the UK.”

But the planning report concludes that there would be steps taken to minimise the impact of the development on the woodland, while the overall proposals “aim to enhance the biodiversity of the site”.

A decision will be made by councillors on Thursday afternoon.