Boss behind Scarborough zip line plan ‘still committed’ despite council’s deferral over visual concerns

The boss behind plans for a major zip line in the North Bay has said he is still committed to the scheme after councillors voted to defer a decision.

On Thursday (Feb 8), the construction of a 35m high, 650m long zip line was deferred by Scarborough councillors who described the attraction as ”desperately needed” but said that changes were required to make it acceptable.

James Field, the owner of the applicant Big Bang Promotions, said he was “disappointed” the plan was not approved but that he was still committed to investing in Scarborough.

He added that his company would work with councillors to improve the design of the attraction.

North Yorkshire Council had recommended that refusal of the attraction over concerns it would cause “significant harm” to the character of the area.

At the planning committee’s meeting, some councillors voted against the scheme.

Coun Subash Sharma said that the zip line towers would “dominate the skyline and the whole perception of the North Bay”, whilst Coun Eric Broadbent said the plan was “brilliant [but] in the wrong place”.

However, speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the applicant, Mr Field, said he had “looked all over Scarborough” and to “make it a big attraction, we need to use the typography at the North Bay”.

He added: “We’ve been on this for nearly three years, and the [North Bay] is the best in terms of getting the length of zip wire that we want. So, in terms of moving it elsewhere, that’s not possible.

“What we have got to do is look at the colour or the screen that goes around the tower, and see if we can make it look a little bit more sympathetic, we’ll look to do that and we want people to get behind it in Scarborough.”

More than 170 locals wrote letters in support of the plan and more than 40 letters of objection were received.

At the meeting, several councillors praised the scheme, including Coun Heather Phillips who said “we want Scarborough to have something iconic and this could be it”.

However, committee members concurred with some of the planning officers’ concerns around design and deferred a decision to allow for a revised plan to be submitted.

Mr Field, of Bing Bang Promotions, said: “We’ll always try to work with the residents and the planning committee and the council to try and make it the best we can.

“But I think in the long-term it will be seen like SeaLife, and Alpamare and it will become normal.”

He added: “It could revolutionise Scarborough in terms of the demographic that it attracts… there’s a buzz around the whole project.”