No easy solution to reopen coastal lift - council

There will be "no easy solution" to solve corrosion problems affecting Whitby’s Cliff Lift which has been closed for more than two years, councillors have been told.

The lift was shut in April 2022 after the discovery of corrosion in its structure, with a "steady increase in water ingress".

While it would be possible to restore the lift to working order, the water ingress and ventilation issues would continue to pose challenges, according to a council report.

Possible courses of action are expected to be discussed at a meeting of North Yorkshire Council's Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee on Friday.

The lift, located on the North Terrace, was opened in 1931 and consists of a lift within a vertical shaft running down from the cliff top through the boulder clay, leading to a 221ft (67m) long pedestrian tunnel out to the beach.

For the last three years, the council has run a free subsidised bus service over the summer to replace the lift which has historically not generated any income, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Chalet users used to get a free lift pass, but this was removed when the charge was dropped and income from non-chalet users has not covered the cost of the lift operator.

Earlier this year, North Yorkshire Council reported the cost of solving the issues affecting the lift was "estimated at over £1m".

The authority had since commissioned Align Property Partners to carry out surveys and further work "to refine costs", according to a new briefing prepared for councillors.

The lift would "still require significant ongoing revenue funding for yearly maintenance and parts replacements and the employment cost of a seasonal lift operator", the report stated.

Council bosses, including the authority's executive committee, were expected to determine the site's future at some point but "no formal decision has been made yet", it added.

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