‘Eyesore’ Scarborough building to be demolished and replaced

An abandoned dwelling at 38 Limestone Road in Burniston, Scarborough will be demolished and replaced with a new residential property after plans were approved by North Yorkshire Council. 

The proposal, by Mr Burton and Ms Welford, will also see an existing outbuilding partially demolished, with the remaining area converted into a domestic outbuilding serving the property. 

The new L-shaped two-storey building will be erected with an attached single-storey offshoot and will feature solar panels at the front. 

The site, which is located within the development limits of Scarborough, has an “extensive planning history” for various residential developments, including permission for the erection of 18 dwellings in 2022. 

The proposal was welcomed by Burniston Parish Council which said that “in its existing form, the current site is an eyesore”. 

Plans for the new building

The council’s environmental health team said that if appropriate conditions were attached it would not have any objections. 

Comments were also received from four members of the public who supported the application, with one resident stating: “The current derelict property is an eyesore and its removal would be an improvement in the area.”

Another local added: “The remainder of the site will be retained for wildlife which is a positive.”

A bat, breeding bird, and barn owl survey found that there is “some optimal foraging and commuting habitat within the surrounding area”. 

However, it concluded that as the existing building on the site is in poor condition and is “very exposed to wind and rain”, it was deemed to be “too damp and exposed to provide optimal bat roosting opportunities”. 

In a council report, planning officers noted that the size of the development had been reduced from the original submission and noted that the “rear garden space is significantly reduced”. 

The visual impact of the solar panels was also considered by the council which said that the panels will be situated on “a fairly large proportion of the front roof” but are “not considered to be an overly prominent feature in the street scene”. 

The application was approved by North Yorkshire Council subject to various conditions.