Scarborough Town Now Has 115 HMOs
Councillors want planning permission required for HMO conversions. Plus, cliff lift staff have been left waiting since August, and platinum for two Scarborough parks.
A hundred and thirty houses across the old borough have become HMOs, and a hundred and fifteen of them are in Scarborough town. Councillors want planning permission made a requirement for shared house conversions, on the grounds that the current system isn't catching any of it until it's done.
Nobody has told the cliff lift staff anything since August. They say they've been left in limbo by the safety closure, and one has resigned rather than keep waiting. Still no reopening date.
Platinum at Yorkshire in Bloom for South Cliff Gardens and Peasholm Park, which is the top grade and not a bad haul for one town. Both are the sort of place you stop noticing once you've lived here a while, so it's useful to be reminded occasionally that people elsewhere in Yorkshire make a day trip of them.
The Stephen Joseph is screening a cinematic cut of two David Tennant episodes on 23 November, with deleted scenes put back in. Two episodes that were made for television are now getting a showing on the big screen.
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📰 Scarborough Life
⚡ Scarborough Wants Westminster's Money. Financiers at the House of Commons heard pitches for four regeneration projects - the old Brunswick Centre, North Bay tourism, Eastfield's business park and a station-to-seafront link. A fact-finding visit follows later this year.
🚡 Cliff Lift Staff Feel Forgotten. Employees at the shut-down Spa Cliff Lift say they've been left in limbo since August, and one has already resigned over the uncertainty. There's still no date for it reopening.
🎭 Win Tickets to The Highwayman. The Stephen Joseph Theatre is giving away a pair of tickets to John Godber's new play, with a winner announced Wednesday.
🏘️ Councillors Demand Grip on HMO Conversions. Scarborough town councillors want North Yorkshire Council to require planning permission for turning homes into shared houses, after 130 HMOs were logged across the former borough. 115 of them are in Scarborough town itself.
📺 Doctor Who Special Hits the Big Screen. The SJT is screening a cinematic edit of David Tennant's "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" on 23 November, with deleted scenes added for the occasion.
💷 Council Housing Firm Bleeds Cash. Brierley Homes lost over a million pounds in a single quarter, prompting calls to shut it down. The council is sticking with a five-year recovery plan built around affordable housing and custom builds.
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🍺 Wold Top Pours In at Haddock Hideaway. A beer tasting evening on Queen's Parade lets drinkers work through five thirds and a cask-aged taster for £12, on Thursday 15 October.
🎤 Comedy Store Returns to the Spa. Stand-up from around the globe comes back to Scarborough Spa on Friday 16 October, with the last run selling out early.
🛟 Mayor Backs RNLI After Volunteer Abuse. Scarborough mayor Thomas Murray has voiced his support for RNLI volunteers after reports of abuse linked to the charity's Channel rescue work. Councillors also thanked the RNLI for hosting a bathing water testing pilot in South Bay.
🚌 Transport Plan Drop-Ins Head to the Coast. Residents can question officers on the mayor's draft transport strategy at drop-in sessions in Whitby and Scarborough in October. The plan itself admits coastal towns benefit less from investment than places with more through traffic.
🌸 Scarborough Parks Take Platinum. South Cliff Gardens and Peasholm Park both scooped top honours at the Yorkshire in Bloom awards. The ceremony celebrating Scarborough's green spaces was held in Tadcaster.
🖥️ Council to Grill NHS Over Palantir Use. North Yorkshire's health scrutiny committee meets on 2 October to question the use of Palantir's data platform by the local NHS. The ICB says no patient or GP data is being uploaded to it.
🍺 Sleights Pub Sold, Set to Reopen. The Plough Inn, a Grade II listed pub on the Whitby-to-moors road, has new owners planning a 2027 reopening. It had been on the market at £300,000.
⭐ Readers’ Choice: Top Posts From Last Issue
🎸 Kaiser Chiefs Headline Open Air Theatre. The Leeds band return to headline in Scarborough on Friday 11 June 2027, with tickets now on sale.
🚡 Cliff Lift Eyes Phased Reopening. Officers are exploring a phased restart for Scarborough's Spa Cliff Lift, shut in August over safety faults.
🏠 Council Rejects Asylum Housing Claims. Scarborough homes bought under a temporary housing scheme are not for asylum seekers.
🎸Events, Activities & Live Music
We keep it short here - head to our EVENTS PAGE for links and future events.
Sunday, 27 September
11:00 🌊 Beach Clean at Filey South - South Bay, Scarborough
12:30 🎷 Scarborough Jazz Festival 2026 - Scarborough Spa
14:00 🎻 Symphonies, Shadows & Chaos - YMCA, Scarborough
17:00 🎯 Sunday Socials - Haddock Hideaway, Scarborough
19:00 🎷 Scarborough Jazz Festival 2026 - Scarborough Spa
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Monday, 28 September
09:30 🧘 Yoga Class (Mon) - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
09:45 🎳 Social Bowls (Mon) - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
13:30 🧵 Craft & Social Group - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
14:00 🧘 Tai Chi Classes - Filey Evron Centre
17:45 💃 Clubbercise with T. J - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
18:45 🥊 Beat Boxing Fitness - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
19:30 💃 Clubbercise (Mon) - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
20:00 🎶 Live Music: Folk Club - The Merchant Irish Bar, Scarborough
Tuesday, 29 September
09:00 💼 Business Advice Drop-in Session - YCE Centre, Scarborough
09:30 🧘 Pilates Plus - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
10:30 🧵 Craft & Coffee Morning - Indie Revival, Scarborough
11:00 🧘 Chair exercises - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
11:15 🎳 Social Bowls (Tue) - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
13:00 💃 Line Dancing: Beginners - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
13:00 🎧 Northern Soul Afternoon - The Cask & Keg, Scarborough
13:00 🎧 Popup Tuesday - The Cask & Keg, Scarborough
13:30 🩰 Over 55s Ballet Classes - Yorkshire Coast School of Ballet, Scarborough
13:30 💼 Business Planning to Succeed - YCE Centre, Scarborough
14:00 🎨 Afternoon Art Session - Robin Hood's Bay Studio & Gallery
14:00 💃 Line Dancing: Improvers - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
19:00 🎯 Deaf Group - Room 22 - The Street, Scarborough
19:00 🧘 Pilates Class - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
19:30 💃 Modern Jive Lessons - Roscoe Rooms, Scarborough
19:30 🧠 Quiz Night - The Merchant Irish Bar, Scarborough
19:30 🎭 The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
19:45 😂 Comedy: Attention All Shipping - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
Wednesday, 30 September
10:00 ☕ Happy Days Friendship Group - Hunmanby Community Centre
10:00 🎶 Ukulele Class - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
10:00 💬 Understanding Dementia - The Street, Scarborough
11:00 💃 Circle Dancing - St. James Community Hall, Scarborough
13:00 🏓 Pickleball - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
13:00 🎲 Board Games Sessions - Haddock Hideaway, Scarborough
13:30 🎭 The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
14:00 💃 Easy Sequence Dancing (Wed) - Cayton Village Hall
14:00 🎲 Board Game Afternoon - Gristhorpe & Lebberston Village Hall
17:00 🧵 SEWcial Sewing & Textile - Stitched by the Beach, Scarborough
17:30 🧘 Yoga Class (Wed) - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
18:45 🧘 Peach Squad: Workout - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
19:00 🩰 Adult Ballet - Yorkshire Coast School of Ballet, Scarborough
19:30 👻 Psychic Night - Scarborough Rugby Union Football Club
19:30 🎭 The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
19:30 💃 Clubbercise (Wed) - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
19:30 🧠 Quiz Night & Jackpot - The Ramshill, Scarborough
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👋 That’s All For Now 🎬
From town to coast, there's always something happening in Scarborough.
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Sue | Editor | The Scarborough Insider
