An £11 million scheme to transform Scarborough’s historic West Pier to help boost the area’s economy and celebrate the town’s long-standing fishing industry has moved a step closer to becoming a reality with submission of a planning application for the project.
And for fish merchant TG Wood, which has been based on the pier since 1973, the development can’t come soon enough. Shaun Wood runs the business, started by his father, and said the pier is “crying out for investment”.
He added: “I’m hugely supportive of the plans and the sooner it happens, the better. We have a huge footprint that we rent from the council, but the building is in disrepair and needs modernising.”
His son Jack was running Cod and Lobster, a fishmonger on the pier, until recently but the family has closed the business until new premises are built.
Jack said: “We’ve shut the Cod and Lobster until these plans happen due to the building’s current condition. I don’t want to personally invest any more money into the inside until the outside is sorted.
“The West Pier is crying out for investment. It’s the first thing you see as you come on to South Bay and it’s an eyesore. If we’ve got this money, let’s spend it and let’s make the place look better and work better for fishermen, locals and tourists.”
Permission is being sought for the regeneration scheme centred on supporting and celebrating the town’s fishing industry as well as replacing current facilities and buildings with modern ones for existing tenants and businesses.
The vision for the West Pier includes new kiosks, improved offices, sheds and warehousing for the fishing sector and new parking and vehicle and pedestrian management, as well as restoration work of existing premises which have historical interest.
Chief executive Richard Flinton, said: “Reaching the planning application is an exciting stage for this project. Regenerating the West Pier will breathe new life into Scarborough’s South Bay whilst respecting and supporting the fishing industry working on the pier.”
