Theatre’s fate in hands of MP
Minister to have final say after council presses ahead with Futurist demolition
The fate of Scarborough’s iconic Futurist theatre, which once played host to acts including The Beatles, now rests in the hands of Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.
On Friday, Scarborough Borough Council’s planning and development committee approved the method of razing the theatre to the ground by 11 votes to 3.
In January the council decided to demolish the Futurist by the closest possible margin, with just one vote swaying the decision.
Flamingo Land wants to build a coastal attraction on the site of the building, but Scarborough Council will be footing the £3.91m bill for the demolition.
The demolition plans will now go to the National Planning Casework Unit to decide whether the application should be called in for determination by Mr Javid.
If it is not called in a decision could be issued in three weeks. If it is called in and a public inquiry is ordered then it could delay the demolition for a year.
Campaigners packed out Scarborough Town Hall for the meeting in the hope the committee would put the brakes on the council’s plans.
Patricia David, one of those who has fought to save the Futurist, which opened in 1921, said the battle was not over.
She said: “While the building is still standing we will fight on and on and on.
“We will be writing to the secretary of state, urging him to call in the decision.”
During the meeting, a number of councillors expressed concerns that they had seen no plans from Flamingo Land about what would eventually take up a prime spot on Scarborough’s seafront.
Speaking afterwards, Cllr Mike Cockerill, portfolio holder for major projects, said he expected some plans to come forward shortly.
He said: “Flamingo Land is the preferred bidder and I imagine the decision taken by the planning committee will give them more confidence and I would not be surprised if they were in contact with the council shortly to start bringing forward the plans. But that is down to Flamingo Land.”
The demolition will be carried out using, in the council’s words, “high-reach mechanical plant fitted with demolition attachments and water hoses to suppress any dust generated.”
Part of the King Street car park will also be dug away to allow a 10m wall to be put in place as part of the stabilisation process. Asbestos will also be removed prior to the demolition.
One of the most controversial parts of the council’s Futurist policy is the fact that the authority and its taxpayers will be the ones paying the £3.91 demolition costs.
Cllr Cockerill said: “I think what many people have perhaps not understood is the fact that the bulk of the costs are for stabilising the cliff behind the Futurist, the actual demolition of the building is just a part of that overall figure.” He added that any potential call in was “out of the council’s hands”.
The council will enter into a contract with Willmott Dixon to carry out the work as it waits for news from the Government.
For decades the Futurist was one of the best-known seaside venues in the country, playing host to names including The Beatles, Ken Dodd and Shirley Bassey.
It has been boarded up since 2013 after the council could not find an operator to run it.