Seafronts of popular coastal towns to be spruced up thanks to £1m investment

PLANS TO invest £1m to carry out a raft of improvements on the seafronts of North Yorkshire’s most popular coastal destinations are set to be given the goahead by councillors.

Scarborough Borough Council’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday next week when members will be asked to approve the investment to “refresh and renew” tired and run-down infrastructure in Scarborough, Whitby and Filey.

The money, which is part of the council’s capital strategy that was agreed in February, is set be spent improving the seafronts in the three towns with new seating, enhanced amenities such as public toilets and new floral displays.

Notorious blackspots for litter would be cleaned, additional refuse and recycling bins installed and new signage, showers and water bottle refill points are also due to introduced.

Scarborough Borough Council’s cabinet member for inclusive growth, Coun Liz Colling, said: “This is a significant investment in our borough.

“The seafronts of Filey, Whitby and Scarborough are key tourist attractions and we need to make sure they meet the demands and aspirations of residents, businesses and visitors alike.

“At the same time, they need to reflect the history and tradition of each of the three towns. The £1m will also support our wider work to rebuild the borough’s visitor economy as lockdown restrictions are eased further.”

The town councils in Whitby and Filey and businesses in all three towns will be consulted about the exact nature of the improvements if the investment is approved by the cabinet members.

The council has plans to make further significant investment in Filey as well as Whitby’s West Pier and Scarborough Spa from its own budgets.

The spending would be in addition to the funding already announced under the Government’s Town Deals scheme totalling £37.3m, and would be the first phase of improvements.