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A Vision for Scarborough
Introduction
A Vision for Scarborough (2002)
John Thompson and Partners in collaboration with Yorkshire Forward, Scarborough Borough Council and West 8 (a broadsheet out of print but available to view at the Renaissance Centre).
In the autumn of 2001, Yorkshire Forward (the Regional Development Agency) launched its Urban Renaissance programme in order to support the social and economic regeneration of the major towns and cities in the region, focussing on the need to improve the physical, natural and spatial environments within which these activities take place.
From Yorkshire Forward's international Renaissance Panel of consultants, John Thompson & Partners and West 8 were appointed to work with Scarborough Borough Council and the people of the town, to create and integrated Vision for its future and an Action Plan for its delivery.
Following a lead-in period of research and talking to people across the community, preliminary briefings and technical audits, the Vision building phase of the process culminated in a large scale Community Planning Weekend, held at the Spa between 26 and 30 April 2002, which was attended by over a thousand people. Every aspect of the town was explored and a consensus created as to how, and in what form, the town should throw off its faded image and move confidently into the future.
This broadsheet contains a summary of the findings of the Vision building phase of the Urban Renaissance process. In the coming months all of the ideas generated will be further analysed and assessed, leading to an integrated plan for their delivery, to be driven forward by a partnership between the public, private and community sectors: the Town Team.
A 2-day follow-up to the 2002 Community Planning Weekend took place in October 2007 - see the November 2007 Renaissance News in the Town Team section for further details.
Initial ideas generated from the community planning weekend
- Oliver's Mount and the Castle: Scarborough's illuminated icons and festival arenas, linked by laser installations
- South Bay: cliff stabilisations and creation of a new 'magnet', complementing the Spa
- The 're-born' Spa: upgraded and renovated to create a world-class multi-functional centre (conferenc, culture, community)
- Foreshore: an urban design strategy running from the North bay to the South Bay connecting the South Bay Pool and Spa to the North Bay Project
- Sandside and Harbour: pedestrian bridge linking the two harbours, a new West Pier Plazza and Sandside as Scarborough's café/bar/restaurant quarter
- Castle: a new vertical connection
- North Bay: creation of the North Bay Project, plus enhancement of sea-related sports and recreation
- North Central Town: reversing the decline in the housing market
- Medieval Town: reinforcing the historic fabric and creating greater legibility through public realm interventions
- Town Centre: Public Arts programme and public realm interventions, linking the Station to Westborough and through snickets to the sea
- Seamer Road Corridor: a new forested gateway to Scarborough and long term replacement of retail sheds with international HQs
- Valley Gardens: landscape enhancement and new pedestrian links, celebrating the connection between the Valley and the sea
- The Crescent: identifying and enhancing Scarborough's Cultural Quarter
- Heritage Landscape: comprehensive programme throughout the town to celebrate and restore the heritage landscape
- Eastfield (and outlying communities to the North and South): reconnecting and investing in the communities
- Cliff tops: landscape, Public Art and Belvedere projects to create trails for leisure and culture
- Landscape Protection: self-maintaining coastal re-vegetation
- Scarborough Business Park: Expansion and attraction of new inward investors
