Picturesque Whitby lighthouse and Scarborough sea walls to get £795k investment

North Yorkshire Council is set to invest heavily in the iconic Whitby lighthouse and Scarborough Harbour’s sea walls as part of the council’s ongoing efforts to enhance its harbours.

The council is tasked with maintaining and improving the infrastructure around the harbours in Scarborough, Whitby and Filey Coble Landing. A whopping £543,000 has been set aside for design and investigation works on the Scarborough lighthouse pier. The aim is to replace the sheet piles, which are materials used to protect against the sea and provide support. Surveys have revealed that these piles need replacing due to water damage, thinning and gaps appearing in the structure.

The lighthouse pier is at risk of collapsing, and the front edge has been closed off to the public. The roundhead is also in a similar state, with a loading restriction in place and the piles beyond repair.

An additional £252,000 will be spent on design and investigation works on the Grade II listed Whitby west pier lighthouse, which is currently in a poor state. The building has been netted and the area around the base closed with barriers.

Cllr Derek Bastiman, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for harbours, said: “Scarborough Harbour and the Whitby lighthouse are important and historic structures, so it is essential that we allocate a significant budget to ensure they are maintained and managed to a high standard.

“Any collapse would have serious consequences on access for vessels, and continued deterioration will impact on harbour operations, businesses and tourism. The funding demonstrates our commitment to investing in our harbours and places the council in a competitive position to apply for grant assistance as and when it becomes available.”

The £795,000 investment was agreed at a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s executive members on Tuesday, February 20. The funding is to be spent in the next financial year.

The harbours require an investment of £27 million to resolve all of the infrastructure challenges at both Whitby and Scarborough. A total of £1.637 million has already been secured to undertake works to Scarborough west pier inner harbour wall, following recent investigation works, and to finalise the design of a scheme to replace piles at the Eskside Wharf.

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