Masterplan to be drawn up on how to spend £6.2m land windfall

A MASTERPLAN will be drawn up to show how best to spend millions of pounds to regenerate parts of Scarborough and Eastfield.

Scarborough Council will use money from the sale of land in Eastfield to Keepmoat Homes in 2015, to create new housing and leisure facilities for people living in the suburb.

The sale of the land for £6.2m formed the basis of the Middle Deepdale development of more than 1,300 new homes.

Now the authority is looking at how best to invest the funds following consultations with local groups and the local Eastfield Town Council.

The first payment of £1.5m received in 2015, and a further of £1.1m, was paid in December last year. The remaining £3.5m will be paid by 2024.

The council’s cabinet agreed on Tuesday to spend £35,000 from the land sale to create the masterplan for what is called the ‘South Scarborough Strategic Growth Area’.

Council director Richard Bradley outlined in a report to the cabinet the opportunities available, including establishing 10,000 new and replacement jobs, improving transport links and creating new homes.

He wrote: “With significant housing growth potential, business space, education and training facilities, open space for leisure and recreation, retail facilities and its own local transport and rail connections the Eastfield and wider Scarborough South area is critical to delivering these objectives.”

Mr Bradley’s report outlined a number of projects identified or under way as part of the process, including expanding Scarborough Business Park, and improvements to Seamer Station.