Scarborough Harbour: Seating the Thousands

New seating and lighting with traditional seafront shops.

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As one of Yorkshire Forward's Renaissance Towns, Scarborough is re-emerging, proving why it was so popular in its heyday as Britain's first ever seaside spa resort.

Following a visioning process as part of the Yorkshire Forward Urban Renaissance Initiative, to which LDA Design was central, a number of sites were identified to revitalise the town. The historic harbour was chosen for its potential to make a big impact early in the regeneration process. We were appointed to develop detailed design proposals for the harbour area. We aimed to take the site from being divided, run down and road-dominated to a place for lingering, enjoying the views and attracting inward investment.

Importantly, the harbour is a working space for the local fishing industry so not only does it have to look good for residents and tourists - with Whitby just along the coast, the competition is intense - it needs to accommodate some major uses and withstand the coastal environment.

By narrowing the road and widening the footpaths we allowed people to get close to the water's edge while feeling safe, as drivers' ability to speed was restricted by the design. Removing the fences that separated the fishing quay and public areas emphasised being ‘beside the sea' and
created the impression of more space by opening up the views across the harbour.

To extend the beach-feel we introduced a resin bound sand-coloured aggregate surfacing along the pier, with glass beads, to sparkle like quartz in real sand and we added bespoke timber ‘Mast Lights' to provide a permanent vertical element to the landscape, missing when the fishing fleet is at work.

We designed seating to suit the different uses along the harbourside placing large ‘loafer' seats in sunny spots and perches near seafood stalls. The seats are sculptural objects so that in bad weather Scarborough no longer has rows of abandoned benches but beautifully shaped wooden works of art.

The new look harbour has already attracted investment with a number of restaurants and eateries taking the opportunity to offer their customers a table with a stunning view.