New ambulance station planned in Scarborough
It would be based at the town's hospital - on a plot of land near Graham School which has previously been used as a playing field
Scarborough Council is being asked to allow the change of use of land, sold by it more than 50 years ago, so that it can be the site of a new ambulance station at Scarborough Hospital.
When North Yorkshire County Council bought a plot of land from Scarborough Council more than 50 years ago, the Scarborough authority set a clause limiting the use of the land.
As part of the conditions of the 1971 sale of land, Scarborough Council decreed that the land could only be used for “educational purposes”.
Located next to Graham School and Woodlands Academy, the land has been used as a playing field for various sports activities.
However, North Yorkshire County Council now wants to sell the land at Woodlands Drive, Scarborough, to the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to accommodate the expansion of Scarborough Hospital.
The approximately 0.48 hectares of land would be operated by the York Foundation NHS Trust as a new ambulance station.
Cllr Liz Colling, the cabinet member for inclusive growth, has been asked to decide on the matter.
A document prepared for the cabinet member states that “in order that the land can be used as the site for an ambulance station, a deed of variation needs to be granted to NYCC so that legally the land can be used for this purpose.”
The report adds: “The land is no longer owned by Scarborough Council having been sold to NYCC for playing fields in April 1971.
“The restrictive covenant was a condition of the sale so that this use could continue and NYCC could not profit or benefit from other uses.”
According to the report, the adjoining hospital is expanding and on 10 March 2021 delegated authority was given for a deed of variation “in order for the York Foundation NHS Trust to take a lease of an adjacent site in order to construct a helipad”.
“There is no detrimental impact to SBC as it no longer owns the site,” states the report by council director Nicholas Edwards.
The decision is expected to be made by Cllr Colling on Monday 8 August.