A council’s retrospective application for the installation of replacement ladders on East Pier in Whitby has been approved by a planning committee despite local objections.
North Yorkshire Council has been given retrospective planning permission for the replacement of five 9m-long ladders on the Grade-II Listed East Pier at Henrietta Street.
At a meeting of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Planning Committee on Thursday, June 12, councillors asked why the authority had submitted the application after the work had been undertaken.
Members wanted assurances that the council was “not playing fast and loose with planning rules” and officers sought to allay concerns by stating there was “nothing untoward” about the scheme.
The new 9m-long ladders, which provide pedestrian access to the pier, are made of galvanised steel rather than timber and locals have raised concerns about a visual impact on the site which was constructed in the early 18th Century.
Whitby Town Council objected to the proposal, stating that it wanted to see a “like-for-like replacement instead”.
Speaking at the meeting, Coun Subash Sharma said:
“I’d like to have an explanation as to why this application is retrospective, because no one wants to give the impression that North Yorkshire plays fast and loose with the planning rules for its own benefit.”
A senior planning officer at the meeting said:
“I don’t think there is anything untoward with this.
“Over the years, things have been replaced numerous times as standard maintenance and although it is no excuse, what I’d suggest is that it probably doesn’t occur on a daily basis to the person who is responsible, that this is a Listed structure.
“The person would just think it was part of the ongoing regular maintenance.”
The officer added that “as soon as it was realised” it was a listed site, the decision was sent to the committee for retrospective approval.
According to a report prepared for the councillors, the previous timber ladders were “replacements for earlier ones, likely replaced numerous times over the centuries as a result of the maritime environment” and were not considered “original”.
Three of the ladders are located on the western side and two are on the eastern side of the pier.
The retrospective application was approved by the Scarborough and Whitby area planning committee on Thursday, June 12.
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