The Marquis of Normanby’s estate says its scheme to build a car park overlooking Runswick Bay will make the tourism hotspot more attractive to visitors after receiving the thumbs up from the North York Moors National Park Authority.
Members of the authority’s planning committee have concluded creating a 44-space car park would meet an excess demand for parking in the village, which saw unprecedented visitor numbers following the pandemic and landing the Sunday Times’ Beach of the Year title in 2020.
Ahead of the meeting the scheme had met with opposition from numerous residents and Hinderwell Parish Council, who stated by adding a car park beside one run by Scarborough Borough Council at Bank Top Mulgrave Estates would tarnish the look of the area.
Objectors also insisted the car park would not be needed as visitor numbers had subsided following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
However, a meeting to consider the scheme beside the Cleveland Way walking trail heard the authority had received complaints about visitors parking in inappropriate places in the village well before the pandemic.
The meeting was told it was clear parking issues were not entirely due to national media coverage and pandemic restrictions being lifted.
Members agreed that with the estate having dropped plans for a restaurant on the site the scheme met the national park’s policies, and that it would not significantly harm the landscape as it would appear like an extension to the council-run car park.
The meeting heard how with an extra permanent car park in the village, the authority would look to stop ad hoc pop up car parks on fields in future.
To mitigate its impact, members also called for an ongoing management plan to bring additional screening, planting and biodiversity benefits, as well as stipulating that two eyesore sheds be removed from the site.
After the meeting, director of the 15,000-acre estate Robert Childerhouse said it had worked closely with the authority and local residents to ensure that the plan addressed concerns.
He said the estate believed the car park would have a beneficial effect on the economy and of the quality of life at Runswick Bay.
Mr Childerhouse said:
“By relieving congestion in this beautiful seaside village, it will become more attractive to tourists and provide a timely boost to cafes, restaurants and shops, who are only now emerging from the challenges posed by the global pandemic.
“We are confident that by providing parking for the many visitors to Runswick Bay, our car park will have marked economic, social, and environmental benefits for the village and will help alleviate the current problems caused by on street parking and traffic congestion there.”
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