Scarborough town centre is getting a green makeover to help with its recovery from Covid-19 when lockdown restrictions are eased.
Dozens of trees are going to be planted along Westborough and Newborough over the coming weeks and today giant planters have be lifted in to place in the town centre.
The idea is to create a more attractive and enjoyable space in the town centre to encourage people to visit when life returns to some kind of normality.
It’s hoped the birches, grasses and hardy native planting – and new and more seating - will encourage people to enjoy the town centre as a place to be when lockdown rules permit.
The seating will be moveable to support a year-round cultural programme which is in development.
The greening scheme is the latest in a series of joint initiatives to be announced by Scarborough Borough Council, Scarborough Town Centre Team and Scarborough Town Deal Board, paid for by government Town Deal Fast Track funding, which was awarded to the council in December last year.
An artistic makeover of shop windows was the first imitative to be announced earlier this month and other investment – including town centre public WiFi and a nature project will follow in the coming months.
Cllr Liz Colling, Scarborough Borough Council cabinet member with responsibility for inclusive growth, said:
"We want to encourage people to come to the town centre, its local shops and attractions, and engage with their surroundings.
"By planting new trees in the middle of Scarborough, providing more seating, signage and digital connectivity we hope to boost footfall and give people a reason to visit."
David Kerfoot, chairman of the Scarborough Town Deal, said:
"By re-imagining the town centre in a flexible way, we can build resilience to economic challenges and move on from negative perceptions to achieve greater footfall and investment.
"It also forges stronger connections from railway station to shore.
"The idea is a modern, greener high street, embracing the visitor volumes of the harbour and seafront."
Richard Grunwell, chairman of Scarborough Town Centre Team, said:
"The ‘greening’ of the high street is important to create an inviting place for people to socialise and visit.
"It's about the quality of life and well-being as well as retail support and creating a mixed-use town centre.
"Combine that with the use of innovative and exciting new technology, we will have a compelling offer for residents and visitors."
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