SCARBOROUGH could remain without town centre public toilets even if the Brunswick Centre redevelopment goes ahead, councillors have been told.
Despite in-principle approval of an £18.5m public funding package to redevelop the vacant town centre shopping centre, residents and visitors in Scarborough could be left without a place to spend a penny.
A recent report states that while individual businesses within the development, including a cinema and restaurants, would provide toilets for their customers, the scheme “does not replace the level of publicly accessible provision previously available through the Brunswick Centre” and is therefore “unlikely to meet wider town centre demand”.
North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Mark Crane, said the possibility of providing toilets within the Brunswick Centre remained under consideration but stressed that no decision had been taken.
“We are looking at toilet provision in Scarborough and one of the places we’re thinking about is the Brunswick Centre,” he said.
“At the moment, no decision has been made. But if there is not a more suitable location, then we would look to put them in the Brunswick Centre.”
He added that any arrangement would require the agreement of the site’s owner, Scarborough Group International.
The concerns come after North Yorkshire Council’s executive approved in principle an £18.5 million public funding package to support the redevelopment of the former shopping centre into a mixed-use leisure, retail and hospitality destination.
The report says there “may be an opportunity” to incorporate additional public conveniences into the redevelopment, but warns that further assessment and detailed costings would be needed. It also notes that the financial package currently being considered does not include the construction or running costs of any public toilets.
It comes as councillors have questioned whether replacement provision was being properly planned as part of efforts to bring the vacant Brunswick Centre back into use.
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Speaking at a meeting of the town council on Tuesday, October 27, Cllr Sarah Mason asked: “Why wasn’t the absence of public toilets raised when the original Brunswick scheme was going through planning?”
Despite speculation that toilets could return as part of the project, council documents state this is far from certain.
The continued absence of town centre toilets has been a recurring issue since the Brunswick Centre closed to the public in 2025.
Earlier this year, town mayor Thomas Murray said he was disappointed replacement facilities had not been secured before the closure and warned that the lack of provision was affecting residents, visitors and businesses.
An attempt by Scarborough Town Council to establish a community toilet scheme with local businesses failed to attract support, despite financial incentives being offered.
The Brunswick redevelopment, branded as SQ1, is expected to include a six-screen cinema, indoor leisure attraction, restaurants and major retail units.
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