Works are being carried out at South Cliff Gardens which is included on The Historic England ‘Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.’ The aim of the scheme is to rejuvenate the existing South Cliff Gardens and restore them to their former glory.
The scheme has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £4,665,700 with an additional £105,000 also being raised by local community groups.
Overview of the Works
The aim of this scheme is to rejuvenate the existing South Cliff Gardens and restore them to their former glory. The scheme has received substantial funds from the National Lottery Community and Heritage Funds with money also being raised by local community groups.
The full project comprises of the construction of a new maintenance and community hub, along with general refurbishment and landscaping upgrades to the existing South Cliff Park. The project also includes refurbishment work to the existing tunnel, currently closed off to the public under the funicular railway.
Construction Works to Date (April 30th – May 31st)
Progress has continued to be made on the construction of the new community building within the gardens, ‘Beeforth’s Hive’. During the past month the progress has included:
- Building works complete
- Building deep cleaned
- Internal and external painting complete
- Steps, setts and tactile paving installed. Footway and kerbing complete
- Tarmac base and binder installed around building and footways
- Rainwater goods installed on canopy
- Timber sleeper wall installed in front of the building and down step run
- Log walls, boulders and setts installed for outdoor classroom area
- Top soiling around building 95 per cent complete
Holbeck Footways Progress
- Log retaining walls along footway installed
- Pin kerb edge installed in front of logs
- Fence posts and fencing installed
Play Park Progress
- Foundations dug
- Footings dug in area and poured
- Extra soil imported due to level difference
- Play park equipment designed by, and now being installed, by Studio Hardie
Shelter 1 Progress
- Roof works complete
- Painting 99 per cent complete
- Floor tiles laid and cleaned
- Drainage channel at rear of building complete and external pointing done
- Low rail installed in front of shelter
Shelter 2 Progress
- Work complete to all timber items
- 95 per cent of painting complete
- Drainage channel at rear of the building complete and brick work re-pointed
Rose Gardens Progress
- All edging installed
- All gullies bricked up to level and installed
- Thresholds installed
- All footways now tarmacked and regulated for resin
- All edges top soiled
- Footways to rear of garden now surfaced
Italian Steps South Progress
- Removed all existing balustrades
- Put new concrete footings in on section of damaged radius wall
- Wall rebuilt and coping installed
- Installing new balustrades and copings
- Lighting column removed to enable mould to be made
- Urns installed on pillar tops
- New radius coping installed
Shelter 6 Progress
- Pergola and internal roof now painted
- Render complete
- All guttering installed
- Pillar defects corrected
Shelter 12 Progress
- Rear base end panels removed and replaced
- New bench supports installed and bricked into place. New Tongue & Groove boarding back for bench installed
- Window re-made and re-installed. New bay window made and installed
- All internal and external roof works complete
- 95 per cent of the shelter now painted
Shelter 18 Progress (Accessible Toilet Block)
- New facia boards installed due to rot
- New soffit installed around the building
- Roof works now complete
- External wall removed and new concrete upstand poured
- Walls in cubicles now built
- New manholes installed and connected into existing drainage
Elsewhere across the project, work is continuing on:
- Shelter numbers 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11
- Area 16 Steps
- Area 18 Steps
- The Clock Tower
- The Lost Shelter
- Tunnel area
- Italian Steps North
- Italian Gardens
- Esplanade railings
- Land drainage
- Area 22 steps & footway
A visit to the Yorkshire Country Women’s Association
Earlier this month, PBS Chairman, Pete Smurthwaite, went along with Vicky Thompson (South Cliff Gardens National Lottery Heritage Project Officer), Gemma Alexander (South Cliff Gardens Community Engagement Officer) and Brendon Smurthwaite (PBS Community Manager) to the May meeting of the Yorkshire Country Women’s Association at East Ayton. All four were invited along to give a presentation on the restoration project and answer questions from the 30 plus members who were in attendance. The afternoon was then completed with tea and cake! Many thanks to the association for the invite and we look forward to maybe seeing them again in the future.
May site tour
We hosted our regular site tour for the public at the end of May and were delighted to see more than 40 people come along. Andy Thorley (PBS Project Manager) and Danny Long (PBS Health & Safety Manager) led the tour which included an update on works to the Clock Tower, a look around the inside of the new ‘Beeforth’s Hive’ building, a wander down to see the Play Park installation in progress and a walk to see Shelters 1 and 2, which are close to completion. Thanks to everyone who came along and we look forward to our next tour which is being held on Thursday June 30th (1-2pm).
Scarborough PRU Careers site visit
Pupils and staff members from the Scarborough Pupil Referral Unit recently came along to have a look around site and learn a bit more about the restoration of the gardens. The school visited back in October last year and quite a lot has changed in the months that have passed since then! On an hour-long walk, the staff and pupils were given the opportunity to see the majority of the progress being made. It was a real pleasure to welcome them to the gardens and hopefully we can invite them back again before the project is completed.
Scarborough News check out the project progress
We were delighted to welcome the Scarborough News down to site recently to see the progress being made on the restoration of the gardens. Alan Clarke (PBS Site Manager) was on hand to show a journalist and photographer from the newspaper around and bring them up to date with the
works. David Auton (South Cliff Community Group), Adrian Perry (Friends of South Cliff Gardens) and Gemma Alexander (South Cliff Gardens Community Engagement Officer) also joined the tour to provide their own insight and expertise. It was great to share the story of the project and we look forward to seeing the coverage in due course.
Monthly Site Tour
We will be hosting a monthly site tour on the last Thursday of every month throughout the duration of the project. Our next tour will be held between 1-2pm on Thursday June 30th. All are welcome. Anyone who would like to come on the tour should meet at the Clock Tower just before 1pm. Please note that these tours will include walking on uneven paths and surfaces, inclines and steps and may be unsuitable for those with mobility issues.
Considerate Constructors Scheme
This project has been registered under the Considerate Constructors Scheme, which means that we will agree to abide by the Code of Considerate best practice beyond statutory requirements. Alongside this we have registered with The Considerate Constructors Scheme who are working with the Lighthouse Club, the Construction Industry Charity to promote the Construction Industry Helpline. The Construction Industry Helpline operates 24/7 and provides practical support on occupational health and mental wellbeing, access to support on legal, tax and debt management matters and also grants emergency financial aid to construction families in crisis.
On our last considerate constructor inspection we were delighted to achieve an impressive score of 39 out of 45.
Meet the PBS Site Team
| NAME | ROLE / CONTACT NUMBER |
| ANDREW THORLEY | PROJECT MANAGER 07834 651678 |
| ALAN CLARKE | CIVILS SITE MANAGER 07813 536660 |
Supported By
| NAME | ROLE |
| PETER SMURTHWAITE | CHAIRMAN |
| GLENN SMURTHWAITE | MANAGING DIRECTOR |
| MARK BROOKS | COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR / QUANTITY SURVEYOR |
| BRENDON SMURTHWAITE | COMMUNITY LIAISON MANAGER 01482 211132 |
| DANNY LONG | HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGER |
Community Liaison Manager Contact Details
Brendon Smurthwaite
Community Liaison Manager
PBS Construction (North East) Ltd
1 Trinity Street, Hull, HU3 1JR
Office: 01482 211132
Email: brendon.smurthwaite@pbsconstruction.co.uk
PBS CONSTRUCTION (NORTH EAST) LTD
Head Office: 1 Trinity Street, Hull, HU3 1JR
Phone: 01482 211132
Email: info@pbsconstruction.co.uk
“We are looking forward to delivering this scheme for the town of Scarborough and the local community.”
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