Sea cadets gain approval for new building

Revised plans for a new building for sea cadets in North Yorkshire have been approved.

North Yorkshire Council has given the green light to demolish and replace the existing Filey Sea Cadets base after rejecting a previous proposal due to parking and design concerns.

The Southdene Pavilion will be replaced with a two-storey facility on Southdene in Filey.

Filey Sea Cadets said the current site had "reached the end of its useful life", with the new building set to be one the town could be "genuinely proud" of.

The approved building is set to provide about 951 sq m of floorspace, compared with 647 sq m in the existing building.

It will include classrooms, dormitories, changing facilities, storage space, a main parade deck and community-use areas.

The scheme also includes 23 parking spaces, cycle storage, solar panels and an air source heat pump.

The application follows the refusal of an earlier proposal in 2024, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council planners previously said the proposed building was too bulky, out of character with the surrounding residential area and provided inadequate parking.

In a report approving the revised scheme, officers said the redesign had successfully responded to concerns.

The report said: "The proposal has been designed to replicate the arts and crafts and Edwardian architectural traditions of Filey in terms of its composition and the use of materials."

The sea cadets said the project represented the culmination of a long-held ambition to replace the building.

"The new building will replace a 1920s pavilion structure that has reached the end of its useful life and can no longer support the requirements of the unit," a spokesperson said.

"The proposed replacement headquarters will enable the unit to do so from a facility of which the town can be genuinely proud."

The organisation hosts weekly cadet sessions, residential training weekends, summer camps and activities involving dozens of young people, while also providing space for community groups including dance and karate classes.

More than 2,000 cadets have been trained at the unit since it opened.

The application attracted substantial support, with more than 120 letters backing the scheme and one objection.

Council planners concluded: "The existing community facility at Southdene has reached the end of its useful life."

The scheme was approved, subject to conditions, on Thursday.

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