The West Pier ‘Project’
Readers are invited to welcome the return of Councillor Stormin' Norman MURPHY, whose views on North Yorkshire Council's attempt to make some sense of Scarborough Town Deal Board's 'regeneration' of Scarborough's West Pier - one of the many catastrophes bequeathed to North Yorkshire by the gone-but-not-forgotten (nor forgiven) Scarborough Borough Council - make interesting reading. One of each - twice, anyone? Wi' scraps? WHERE SPENDING A PENNY WILL COST YOU £12 MILLION In January 2025, North Yorkshire Council (NYC) unveiled their £12 million pound vision for the West Pier regeneration scheme. Their plans, although a little confusing, included new and improved offices, sheds and warehousing for the fishing sector. While, for the leisure sector, they planned new parking and vehicle and pedestrian management, new public toilets, a new public space which could be used for outdoor events and cultural activities, new kiosks to replace the existing crab stalls and a plethora of new retail units. However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the creation of what is often referred to as the “anchor project” a high-quality seafood restaurant. So, nearly a year on from the presentation of NYC's vision for the West Pier and the unveiling of their stunning “anchor project”, a sea food restaurant in Scarborough, how, I wondered, are things going? BURGERS -v- HALIBUTS Well with regard to progress of the West Pier project, and in particular the “anchor project” things don’t seem to going to well. It seems that, NYC and the Town Deal Board, who are financing the West Pier 'regeneration' project, have run into a few snags. What the Council were hoping to acquire with regards to the “anchor project” was a high-end fish restaurant, hopefully opened by a sea food entrepreneur. A celebrity chef maybe, Rick Stein perhaps, turning Scarborough into the Padstow of the North. They would entice this high class fish restaurant entrepreneur to Scarborough by creating a new restaurant facility for him/her on the old West Pier. The bait, excuse the pun, would be the creation of a new restaurant facility, situated in the current toilet block. This development would of course be very welcome; but sadly the high-end fish restaurant aspect of the project seems to have disappeared down the fish pan. Now, instead of a Rick’s, it looks like we are more likely, if we get anything at all, to get a "Wendy’s". News reports in October 2024 indicated that an objection to the planning application suggested the original "anchor project" might become a "Wendy’s". Although Square Burgers Ltd, a Wendy’s franchise partner and operator of the local Papa’s Fish & Chips chain, denied any truth to the claims and a NYC spokesman also confirmed that they were not working with "Papa’s" or "Wendy’s" on the development, rumours persist that NYC are in negotiations with fast food providers. Readers may, of course, make up their own minds as to whether NYC are telling the truth - I could not possibly comment. WHO OWNS THE HARBOUR? That being said, the absence of any operator for the restaurant, fast food or high end, is not the only problem facing the West Pier regeneration project. Although NYC claim that they own the land on which the West Pier toilet block sits this ownership is hotly disputed. Initially, NYC tried to just appropriate the land on which the toilet block stands circumventing any legal niceties over ownership that might stand in their way. However, as usual, this cunning plan soon ran in to trouble. Recently the Council confirmed that the initial process undertaken for the appropriation of the land was unlawful, and the matter would now need to be reconsidered. The application process, is, in fact, currently subject to legal challenge and review and until the question of ownership is resolved; applying for planning permission has been differed. When the plan will finally get to a planning committee nobody knows for sure. However, it will definitely now be, at the earliest, 2026, and many people believe that there are so many problems with the plan that even if it does get to the Planning Committee, it will almost certainly be thrown out. CATCH 22? Not that gaining ownership of the land would allow the West Pier project to get off the hook. Even if ownership of the land was granted in NYC's favour, NYC would still have to obtain change of use for the land on which the toilet block stands. Currently, the toilet block land is classified as for "harbour use" however if NYC want to convert the toilet block into a restaurant, the land needs to be re-classified to "general estates purposes". Now, of course, normally this would be no problem, NYC would just give itself 'change of use' and that would be that. However, as of writing (December 2025) NYC have not yet received approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) to make the change. For some reason, not fully explained; the Council is legally required to seek consent from the DfT for the change of use, but this process is ongoing and has not yet been finalised, as of recent reports. Indeed, it is reported that the status of the DfT's formal approval is pending the resolution of the ownership dispute and as this will almost certainly not be resolved until late next year, if at all, then a rather complicated Catch 22 situation is developing which not even NYC may be able to resolve. So we may see that NYC's regeneration of the West Pier project has run into choppy waters, some might even say it is all at sea.
