North Yorkshire Council Poised to Approve £126,000 to Cover Whitby Old Town Hall Renovation Shortfall

Council members are anticipated to endorse proposals to address a £126,000 deficit in the funding allocated for the refurbishment of Whitby’s Old Town Hall. This initiative, first revealed in 2023, aims to restore the structure located in Market Place and repurpose it for public access as an art gallery. The refurbishment efforts will be partially financed by a £1 million grant from the government’s Towns Fund, alongside contributions from North Yorkshire Council to the undertaking. The executive committee of the authority is scheduled to sanction the supplementary funding on Tuesday, following project bids that surpassed the existing budget. Beyond the restoration, the attic spaces and the first level are intended to house an art gallery and a studio for artists residing there, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Furthermore, the market square adjacent to the Old Town Hall is slated for the installation of level paving to enhance access for individuals with limited mobility. The initiative was initially conceived by Scarborough Borough Council, which ceased to exist in April, and Whitby Town Council, which engaged London-based architects Burrell Foley Fischer to formulate the plans for the Grade II listed 18th-century edifice. During September, North Yorkshire Council requested companies that had submitted bids to resubmit them, with the aim to “hopefully bring the preferred bidder within the budget available”. Nevertheless, an update indicated that a budget deficit of £126,000 persisted even after the tender addendum was released. A document prepared for the council’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday specifies: “The further procurement has caused delays, and some spend will defer to 2025/26.” “It is recommended that the additional budget of £126,000 is approved from the council Strategic Capacity Reserve, to allow a contract award with the preferred bidder to redevelop the Grade-II Listed building and marketplace and prevent any further delay.”