Whitby Mural Plan Approved

Thursday, 5 August 2021 15:59

By Carl Gavaghan, Local Democracy Reporter

Planning permission has been granted for a large mural to be erected on the side of a building in Whitby in order to guide visitors around the town’s new heritage trail.

Scarborough Borough Council’s planning committee today approved plans for the 4.3 metre wide by 3.2 metre high mural that will show the nine locations of the 10 wire frame sculptures by local artist Emma Stothard.

The heritage trail aims to provide local people and visitors to the town an insight into the local fishing industry and its history.

The mural is proposed to be placed on the gable end of 47 Flowergate, a Grade II listed building home to Astin’s Estate Agents.

A second mural, planned for a building in Church Street, has been dropped from the scheme by the council after concerns were raised that it could prove distracting to drivers.

At today’s meeting Whitby Cllr David Chance said he had been won round by the mural.

He said:

“When this came up I was very concerned, however having seen the mural in situ it is only replacing a great big sign for Astin’s on the side of their building.

“So I don’t have a problem with this one.”

The sculptures include fisherwife, a man mending a net, a woman knitting a gansey, photographer and artist Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, a crow’s nest with a lookout, Dora Walker (the only woman to hold a skipper’s licence in the North Sea during World War One) and a herring lassie.

Whitby Civic Society had objected to both proposed murals during the consultation process.

The council still needs to secure a separate listed building planning consent for the mural.

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