Objectors to bank conversion in resort fear another chip shop
MORE THAN 200 people have objected to plans to transform a former bank into a three-storey restaurant in the heart of a Yorkshire seaside town amid fears it will become a chain fish and chip restaurant.
The application for the former NatWest property in the heart of Whitby to be turned into a restaurant or cafe has been submitted by Morgan Lloyd Jones Project Management.
Will Jones, of the firm, said he was unable to comment on the potential use of the building or the business behind it for confidentiality reasons but many of those who have objected have said they are concerned that it could be another chip shop.
The town has been buzzing with rumours the business behind the planning application is fish and chip shop chain Papa’s, which has restaurants in Hull and Scarborough.
Margaret Hall, of Sandgate, in the old part of town, has written to Scarborough Borough Council, saying: “The very last thing Whitby is in need of is another fish and chip shop.
“This plan to turn the bank into a fish and chip restaurant is an insult to Whitby – and the multitude of such businesses (big and small) that have carved out a wellearned reputation for serving locals and visitors.
“The universal reaction from by far the majority of people on hearing what the NatWest might become is a resounding ‘say it isn’t so’.”
Whitby Civic Society also opposes the application, though neither the local town council nor North Yorkshire Police have objected.
It says it has doubts over claims in the application that 50 jobs will be created. It states: “While we welcome the retention of employment opportunities, we think the proposer’s projected number of jobs is highly optimistic; and compared with office work, much catering work is characterised by precariousness, low skills, and low wages.”
Consultation closes at the end of the month. Papa’s has been asked to comment.