Urban Space Group Meeting
Thursday 26 August 2010
The Renaissance Centre
RESPONSE TO THE SBC FUTURIST TASK GROUP ON BEHALF OF THE URBAN SPACE GROUP - APPENDIX B
Appendix B - Foreshore Road
Town Team Meeting - Tuesday 15 May 2007
This Group looked at the future of Foreshore Road which is Scarborough’s “shop window”. Compared with the improving Sandside, the appearance of Foreshore Road leaves something to be desired. The most recent Lonely Planet Guide to Britain said that Scarborough was a nice place except for the Foreshore Road which was tatty and dated. Positive action is needed to bring this area up to modern expectations. Significant improvements are needed to the image and appearance of the area, to the road, buildings and facilities offered.
1. Roads and Paving
We should remove the central reservation, reduce the width of the road, reduce the number of on-street parking spaces and widen the pavements. Pedestrians should be given greater priority in redesigning the “floorscape”.
Subject to technical investigations by professionals, we think that the road and pavements should be raised to improve sea defences rather than the introduction of an unsightly sea wall.
The unsightly railings and barriers around the traffic lights at the junction with Eastborough should be removed, create a better environment as has had been done in Kensington High Street.
The quality and standard of public lighting in the area should be improved.
We need more seating for the public, more “cafe culture” with outside tables on widened pavements.
2. Buildings
The underground Aquarium Top car park is in poor condition and, because of that, it is little used. However, it is well located and is an important asset. Public or private sector investment must be made to bring this car park back into use because it can provide parking space for beach users and hotel guests at the Grand Hotel and St Nicholas Hotel. Developers of the Futurist site could be asked to invest in the car park because it would be of benefit to them, should there be a new casino, theatre or cinema on the Futurist site.
We need an information centre at the Rotunda.
We need to preserve and enhance the shelters on Foreshore Road next to St Nicholas Gardens and retain seating on the roof of this shelter.
The West Pier should be the visible focal point of the Foreshore and a major attraction to all visitors. The West Pier area could be developed with some attractive new buildings and still retain the space and buildings needed for the fishing industry.
The Olympia site should be redeveloped together with the undeveloped terrace below the Grand Hotel. St. Thomas Hospital needs a new use and the derelict land to the rear of the building tidied up. The shop fronts in St. Thomas Hospital and indeed along the Foreshore generally, need improvement.
There is scope for redeveloping or rebuilding some of the poor buildings along the Foreshore Road but there should be no tower blocks and any redevelopment in this area should maintain views of the old town and castle.
We need to find a way of introducing residential occupation to the first floors above shops.
3. The Beach
We need to support activities on the beach, for example providing better facilities for surfers such as changing rooms and showers at the Aquarium Top end. The beach itself should be kept fairly free of clutter and the quality of the existing beach franchises should be improved.
4. Access to the Foreshore Area
The park and ride service should drop visitors somewhere close to the Foreshore so that it will encourage people to use the proposed park and ride facility.
In town, there needs to be comfortable sheltered waiting areas for park and ride buses.
There needs to be a taxi rank close to the Foreshore Road / Sandside area and a convenient coach pick up and drop off point.
The pedestrian links from the town centre “above” and the Foreshore “below” need to be improved and made more obvious. The appearance of Blands Cliff needs to be improved as it has the potential to be an attractive way down to the beach. The unsightly steps down the side of the Futurist should be closed and people directed down through the gardens or through a future redevelopment of the Futurist site.
< Appendix A
