Coastal holiday development plans set for green light

Plans for a new luxury holiday cottage development on the North Yorkshire coast, including a “destination” restaurant overlooking the North Sea, are recommended for approval when they go before councillors next week.Yorkshire Ventures, supported by Holder Mathias Architects and NTR Planning, submitted plans to Scarborough Borough Council in February 2018 for development on the 80.3-acre Raithwaite Estate in Whitby.It currently comprises an 80-bedroom, luxury hotel, spa and restaurant, along with 100 acres of the estate and seven luxury cottages. The southern end of the site is within the North York Moors National Park.The application seeks consent for additional tourist accommodation on the site. A total of 190 units is proposed, comprising 82 luxury apartments, 71 cottages and 37 forest lodges. A restaurant would be built into the hillside overlooking the North Sea.A ‘welcome hub’ featuring a café and shop is also proposed, together with additional car parking, new roads and an extension to the footpath network.It has been estimated that 42 net additional full time equivalent (FTE) jobs would be created during construction of the £31m project. When complete, it would support 269 FTE year-round jobs, both on and off-site.Yorkshire Ventures acquired the Raithwaite Estate from the hands of administrators at KPMG in March 2016.It originally submitted proposals for the site in January 2017 but this application was denied planning consent due to the council concerns over the visual and ecological impacts.The new scheme includes the same number of units but the locations have been amended and a different mix of accommodation types proposed. A sports and leisure facility, which was to include a swimming pool, fitness suite and tennis court, has also been removed.The new application will go before the council’s planning committee on 7 June and is recommended for approval in a planning officer’s report prepared for the meeting.The council has received 37 letters of objection and 109 letters in support of the development.