Plans to restore resort’s town hall and market
Grant will help to fund viability study
PLANS TO restore Whitby town hall and marketplace are to be explored.
Scarborough Borough Council and Whitby Town Council said a viability study would be launched and ideas are being sought from local people.
Using a £ 15,000 project viability grant awarded to Whitby Town Council by the Architectural Heritage Fund, the councils have commissioned a team led by specialist conservation architects, Burrell Foley Fischer ( BFF).
The architects will carry out a condition survey of the building and recommend what repairs need to be made.
The company has also been asked to suggest how the building could be repurposed for sustainable uses and how facilities could be improved for market traders.
The councils say the aim of the project is to make the old town hall building a key focal point for
the town and ensure a vibrant and bustling market place.
The building has been empty and unused since 2017, an issue that was identified as requiring attention in the Whitby market consultation in 2018.
Last year, Scarborough Council’s cabinet gave approval for officers to work with Whitby Town
Council to explore options that could secure the building’s future.
The architects are expected to feed back their findings and initial ideas to the two councils by the end of this month.
The councils plan to start their consultation on the proposals in November, which will include engagement with market traders and local businesses in the vicinity of the old town hall.
The results of the consultation will be used to draft proposals for the future of the building by the end of the year.
Coun Liz Colling, Scarborough Borough Council, said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Whitby Town Council to explore ways in which we can secure a sustainable future for the much loved and historic old town hall.
“The building is an important part of the town’s heritage and a prominent feature of the market area and east side of Whitby, so to be able to bring it back into use to support the economy of the area would be wonderful.”