On Air Now

Darren Lethem

6:00pm - 10:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Whitby Maritime Hub Bill Passes £1m Mark

Tuesday, 29 October 2024 17:22

By Anttoni James Numminen, Local Democracy Reporter

Whitby’s £10m Maritime Hub is set to be ‘delivered on budget’ amid questions about expenditure on the project.

Plans for the controversial multi-million pound Maritime Hub on Whitby’s Endeavour Wharf are on track despite more than 10 per cent of the budget having been spent prior to construction commencing, according to North Yorkshire Council.

The flagship project – which is funded from the £17.1 million of Towns Fund money awarded to Whitby – was given the go-ahead in August despite more than 50 objections from locals who said the design does not fit the character of the area.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that as of September the authority had spent more than £1.2m on the scheme and that so far “one party is interested in occupying the hub”.

The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the £1.2 million spent to date covers a feasibility study to establish the requirements of the building, surveys and ground investigations to ensure the suitability of the site, and detailed designs and associated work to secure planning permission and technical and pre-construction designs.

Nic Harne, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for community development, said:

“Prior to construction we want to be certain that the building meets the demand of the maritime industry.

“We are in talks with a number of potential tenants related to maritime and wharfage operations, as well as training organisations.

“We are working with our main contractor, Wilmot Dixon, and construction estimates currently forecast the project to be delivered on budget.”

Once completed, the hub will be home to workshop spaces, a lobster hatchery and seawater tanks, a store for the Harbour Master’s flood equipment, and a fishing industry training space.

At a planning meeting in August, one resident said:

“This is a speculative property development that has a high financial risk of cost overruns that ratepayers will have to meet.”

But Claire Plant, the agent for the application, said the scheme was

“supported by central government funding via the Whitby Town Deal and that’s based on a viable business case – the aim of the scheme is the rebirth of Whitby’s maritime industry.”

 

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from Yorkshire Coast News

Comments

Add a comment

Log in to the club or enter your details below.

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 6°C | Low: 2°C

  • Filey

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 6°C | Low: 2°C

  • Whitby

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 7°C | Low: 2°C

  • Bridlington

    Light rain shower

    High: 7°C | Low: 2°C

  • Hornsea

    Sunny intervals

    High: 6°C | Low: 2°C

  • Driffield

    Light rain shower

    High: 7°C | Low: 2°C

News