Runswick Bay: Seaside beauty spot café plans dropped

Plans to open a café at a seaside beauty spot in North Yorkshire have been dropped.

Landowners had applied to the North York Moors National Park Authority to develop land at the top of Runswick Bay, near Whitby.

The proposals, which include a 44-space car park, had drawn a number of objections.

Landowners still intend to pursue the car park plan, which they said would be "beneficial" to the economy.

The national park authority's conservation team had warned the development would conflict with several policies designed to protect the park, such as keeping food outlets in built-up areas.

The land, which sits at the northern edge of the North York Moors National Park, is part of the Mulgrave Estate owned by the Marquess of Normanby.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the estate said the revised plan, dropping the café proposal, recognised its "responsibilities" towards the communities living in and around the national park.

However, estate director Robert Childerhouse said the car park would improve off-street provision for visitors.

"The current car park is frequently full in peak season and at weekends, leading cars to park either on the roadside at the bottom of the bank, which causes congestion and dangerous manoeuvring, or on the street along Hinderwell and Ellerby Lanes, which also causes congestion and inconvenience to local residents," he said.

"We are confident that our new car park would have a beneficial effect both on the local economy and on the quality of life at Runswick Bay."

Conservation officers have said they believe there is enough parking in the area.

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