‘Dilapidated’ pier in UK’s oldest seaside resort set for stunning £11m makeover

THE OLDEST seaside holiday resort in the UK has unveiled new plans to transform its beachfront into a new attraction.

The Yorkshire town of Scarborough became a popular spot for staycationers around 400 years ago, during the mid 1600s.

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Now, plans for an £11m scheme that promises “to boost the local economy and celebrate the town’s fishing industry” have been submitted.

The proposals will see current facilities and buildings that are described as being “no longer fit for purpose” and “dilapidated” replaced and modernised for tourists and locals.

The council has said that the plans will “breathe new life into the heart of Scarborough’s South Bay”.

They continued: “The aim of the scheme is to secure a prosperous working harbour, champion fishing heritage and local seafood, and create a ‘must visit’ destination for hospitality, leisure and events.”

While exact details of the plans aren’t hugely detailed, they do include event spaces and seafood restaurants.

Councillors have said they want the pier to become the town’s “focal point” for leisure activity.

The proposals are due to be funded by a £20.2m Towns Fund grant given that was given to the town back in 2021.

The plans also include new buildings for some businesses as well as new facilities for the local fishing fleet, with some concerned about the changes set to be made to the pier.

Mark Crane, the Conservative councillor responsible for business told the BBC that he hopes the scheme will bring about “an increase in tourism there”.

He added: “We will hopefully see an increase in the town’s economy and hopefully it will just be a better place to go and visit.”

However, that optimism isn’t shared universally.

A fisherman who works on the pier, Fred Normandale, told the Yorkshire Post that the plans were a “land grab” which would only benefit tourists and take “the fisherman away from the pier.”

However, councillors have assured fishing workers and those whose businesses are found on the pier that their industries and traditions would be respected.

Councillor Janet Jefferson said: “The harbour and pier area play a critical role in Scarborough’s local economy with strong links to the fishing and hospitality industries.

“We want to develop a scheme that supports and helps these industries to grow, while at the same create a destination that becomes the focal point for leisure activity and events within South Bay.”

Councillor Liz Colling added: “While respecting the traditions that make Scarborough the much loved town it is, we want to invest in new ideas and facilities so that the town becomes a more prosperous place in which to do business, live and work, as well as visit and holiday.”

It isn’t clear yet when the work would begin, with initial proposals hoping that it would be able to start last year and be finished by 2025, according to the council’s website.

Should it be built, it will add to reasons for tourists to visit, including the a Blue Flag beach compared to ones in Australia – and the world’s best Bed & Breakfast.

For three years in a row, the Toulson Court B&B has been rated the best B&B in the world, and it currently sits in second place overall on a list of the best B&Bs and inns on the planet.

Only a beachfront accommodation in Mauritius pips it to top spot, but isn’t quite a B&B since it doesn’t fit the description of “an accommodation in a private home” as clarified by Absolute Escapes.

Meanwhile, this seaside town is the best in the UK and has England’s best visitor experience.

And here are The Sun travel team’s favourite UK seaside towns.

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