Planning
The existing Fish Market is a prominent building within Whitby Harbour that still functions fully, in support of the Whiby fishing community. However, the decades of service, in an exposed marine environment, have taken their toll on the building fabric, and routine maintenance of the Fish Market is long overdue.
The proposals to carry out a series of significant renovations and upgrades to the Fish Market building began with the project to establish a Lobster Hatchery and Marine Discovery Centre, within the existing Fish Market. Our Client, North Sea Conservation, required additional space to provide the office, research, and welfare accommodation necessary to operate the Hatchery and Marine Discovery Centre.
Options to provide the required additional space within the Fish Market are very limited. Whilst being some 80 metres long, the building is generally single storey, apart from the small two storey masonry watchtower element. At Ground Floor level the building is fully occupied and tightly constrained between Pier Road and the functioning Quayside. Providing a further first floor extension to the Fish Market, in addition to the existing watchtower, is also challenging.
The proposal to re-develop and extend the existing watchtower holds the potential for a number of benefits. Primarily, replacing the existing redundant Plant Room above the watchtower with a new functioning floor level will provide the additional space required by North Sea Conservation. The new roof to the watchtower enables the creation of a new, two storey, entrance to the Fish Market from Pier Road, allowing the fishing community to face the public. Finally, a complete renovation of the existing watchtower, inevitably leads to the proposals to renovate the rest of the Fish Market building.
North Sea Conservation have been successful in their initial ambition to establish a Lobster Hatchery within the Fish Market building. By doing so, they have also been successful in drawing in significant public and private investment into the Fish Market building, and the fishing community. It is hoped that the project to extend the watchtower and completely renovate the Fish Market, will draw further, much needed, investment into the building and to the fishing community.
