Scarborough Residents Demand Regeneration, Safety and Inclusion from £19.5m Investment

A major community engagement exercise has revealed that Scarborough residents want the £19.5 million allocated through the government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods to be prioritised for town centre regeneration, improving health, and increasing safety

The extensive consultation, which reached over 1,000 community members, highlighted that securing a sense of local pride and ensuring inclusion are foundational to the town’s long-term success.

The PfN programme is described as the UK government’s updated strategy to support community-led regeneration, providing up to £20 million over 10 years to selected towns. The core expectation guiding the investment is that "decisions must be rooted in local voices", according to the engagement summary.

Purpose: Closing Gaps and Refining Priorities

The community engagement phase was conducted between May and December 2025 and built upon the foundations laid by the "Let’s Talk Scarborough 2024" consultation, which previously gathered input from over 2,000 participants.

The specific aims of the PfN engagement phase were to refine priorities, close gaps identified in earlier consultations, and ensure that underrepresented communities helped shape the plan. Targeted outreach focused on demographics historically less heard from in formal consultations, including young people, older residents, disabled residents, and migrant and minority communities.

Methods used to gather feedback included 11 council-led pop-ups, targeted focus groups, partner-led outreach (by organisations such as CaVCA, North Yorkshire Sport, and Beyond Housing), and an online survey which received 179 responses. Techniques such as token voting, workshops, and informal conversations were deployed to reduce barriers to participation.

Capturing the Breadth of Local Voices

The engagement reached a broad demographic spectrum, with over 1,000 individuals participating through more than 20 events.

A key success noted in the analysis was the improved participation from hard-to-reach groups compared to previous exercises. Outreach efforts included specific focus groups, such as sessions with the Sidewalk Youth Group and residents of sheltered accommodation via Beyond Housing. The involvement of North Yorkshire Sport was vital for engaging younger demographics in informal settings.

Participation by Age Group

The PfN engagement saw a high level of participation from both younger and older residents:

The findings show that Under-18s were the single most engaged age group. The consultation also successfully increased input from young people aged 16–29 and older residents aged 65+ compared to the initial "Let’s Talk Scarborough" consultation.

Headline Priorities: Town Centre Dominates

Community priorities were distributed across eight national PfN themes, with two areas receiving nearly 40 per cent of all votes. Regeneration, High Streets and Heritage was the top priority, closely followed by Health and Wellbeing.

The quantitative results show the distribution of priorities across the eight themes:

• Regeneration, High Streets and Heritage: 20.4%
• Health and Wellbeing: 18.9%
• Safety and Security: 11.9%
• Education and Opportunity: 11.4%
• Transport: 11.3%
• Cohesion: 9.2%
• Work, Productivity and Skills: 8.7%
• Housing: 8.3%

Regeneration: A Call for Pride and Cleanliness

Regeneration, the top-ranked theme, was consistently linked to local pride, safety, and economic vitality. Residents were clear that the town centre is central to Scarborough’s identity, but frequently described the area as looking "tired".

The feedback called for practical, everyday improvements. Specific ideas offered by the public included:

• Everyday Care: Residents demanded deep cleaning, graffiti removal, and the tackling of gull mess on a clear, published rota. They also asked for better public toilets and more seating, particularly for older residents and families.
• Shopfront Uplift: Residents cited "confidence killers" such as long-term scaffolding, tired facades, and empty units. Suggestions included shopfront paint and signage repairs, and using "meanwhile uses" for empty units, such as murals, pop-up shops, and maker displays.
• Retail Mix: Frustration was expressed about the dominance of charity shops and low-end retail, with residents stating: "Scarborough needs better shops—right now it feels like a charity shop strip".

As one resident asserted:

"It’s not just about looking nice—it’s about feeling safe and proud. Right now, it feels like no one cares".

Safety and Transport: Foundations for Inclusion

Safety and Security ranked third overall (11.9%), and community members consistently linked feeling safe to enjoying public spaces and supporting the evening economy. Concerns included antisocial behaviour, substance misuse, and nuisance driving, particularly near areas such as Station Gateway and Westborough.

Practical suggestions for safety included:

• Visible Patrols: Increasing the presence of police, PCSOs, and community safety officers at known hotspots.
• Lighting and Support: Upgrading lighting, installing monitored help points, and implementing measures like taxi marshals.
• Traffic Measures: Calls for traffic-calming measures and average-speed enforcement to address nuisance driving.

Transport, which received 11.3% of votes, was consistently described as a barrier to inclusion, work, and social life. The Sidewalk Youth Group highlighted transport as a major barrier, specifically the lack of evening buses and unsafe walking routes, calling for free or subsidised travel. Similarly, residents of sheltered accommodation identified Transport & Connectivity as their second highest priority (20.0%).

Community suggestions focused on addressing gaps in service and infrastructure:

• Bus Services: Later and weekend services on key corridors.
• Infrastructure: Bus stop upgrades including better shelter, seating, lighting, and real-time information.
• Active Travel: Developing a joined-up walking and cycling network with dropped kerbs, tactile paving, and secure parking to support disabled users and families.

Youth, Health, and Inclusion

The PfN engagement focused heavily on opportunities for young people, who requested safe, welcoming spaces that they could co-design, offering activities like e-sports, music, and social sport.

On Health and Wellbeing (18.9%), residents asked for parks, paths, and support that felt easy to access. Inclusion by Design emerged as a strong priority, especially for families and disabled residents. Requests included:

• Accessible Facilities: Standardising step-free routes, tactile paving, and dropped kerbs.
• Changing Places: Specific demands were made for Changing Places facilities (fully accessible toilets) in predictable locations to support families and people with complex needs.
• Green Space: Upgrading parks with better paths, benches, lighting, and planting.

Next Steps

The PfN process is now transitioning from priority setting to project development. The priorities identified through this engagement will inform the pipeline of deliverable projects, including feasibility checks and cost estimates.

North Yorkshire Council says it is committed to returning to the community in 2026 for a consolidation phase to allow residents and stakeholders to "sense-check proposals" before final decisions are made. Sustained dialogue will be maintained through updates, thematic working groups, and "You said - We did" summaries to ensure transparency throughout the delivery of the community-led regeneration plan.