REPAIRS to Whitby's much maligned engine shed are set to be carried out by its new owner, Scarborough Borough Council has confirmed.
Hilary Jones and David Archer from the council's planning department met with Whitby Town Councillors on Tuesday night to bring them up-to-date with the scheme.
The engine shed, originally destined to be a heritage centre on the life of Captain Co
ok, is now in private ownership after being sold by the charitable trust which owned it.
The owner, a Shaun Harrison, has agreed to repair the shed "above and beyond" the level that was required by the council, according to Ms Jones.
She added: "The planning permission on the engine shed runs out at the end of this year.
"That is the same for the permission for 10 cottages on the site. The new owner is still bound by the 106 notice we served on the trust, saying that work cannot begin on the cottages until the work to make safe the shed has been carried out.
"He has agreed to do this above and beyond what we have asked.
"An application for seven terraced houses has now been submitted in place of the 10 cottages but this would be bound by the same 106 notice."
The application has just been submitted to the borough council last week and will be discussed by the town council at its next planning meeting.
The town councillors were concerned the new properties would not be up to scratch.
Coun John Freeman said: "I hope these seven houses are of a better quality than the ones that have been built there already, which are shoddy, very poor quality."
Other councillors questioned if they would ever get the heritage centre.
"I don't know," was Mr Archer's response. "The planning permission runs out before the end of this year, it will be down to the owner."
