by Rebecca Hannant
Withernsea Town Council has relaunched plans to build 10 micro-kiosks in Valley Gardens.
The kiosks were originally included in a wider seafront regeneration project launched in April 2024 alongside 28 beach huts for the central promenade.
While planning for the beach huts was granted in June, the application for the kiosks was withdrawn after Yorkshire Water raised objections. Several units would have been built over the public sewerage system, potentially affecting maintenance, so the plans were pulled.
The revised application now accounts for the existing infrastructure. If approved, Valley Gardens will see 10 new kiosks arranged in a semi-circle to create a small coastal market. Four would sit on the eastern elevation, three on the southern, and three on the western.
Plans also include recessing the verge mounds, installing concrete bases and retaining gabion walls with cobblestone infill, and adding mains services including electricity, grey water and drainage.
The 12ft-by-12ft units are designed to be low-cost and accessible for microbusinesses and start-ups, while also supporting larger seasonal markets and events.
The council says it will set minimum opening requirements to keep businesses trading year-round. Units would need to open five days a week, including weekends and bank holidays, between Easter and the end of October, and at weekends and bank holidays only between November and New Year.
Opening hours would be 11am to 3pm, with later hours only allowed under licence and by prior agreement.
A council statement said: “The coastal market has been designed with the provision of low-cost start-up premises with flexible lease terms, providing a venue for market testing of new business ideas and products, supporting cottage industry expansion, scaling into first commercial premises, and offering pop-up and seasonal opportunities.”
The aim is to attract services currently lacking or in short supply in the town, such as a fishmonger, greengrocer or baker, while not drawing trade away from Queen Street.
The scheme has been welcomed, though questions remain about whether the kiosks will be sustainable year-round and how they will be managed. Concerns about vandalism and antisocial behaviour have also been raised.
Councillor Sean McMaster said: “I am very pleased to see that the plans for the micro-kiosks have been relaunched. I think they would be a very welcome addition to the town, and great for small independent businesses and new start-ups. I’m very much looking forward to seeing them in place.”
Councillor Jon Dimberline added: “I would like to thank Withernsea Town Council for having the vision to improve the area. I hope that businesses will use them. They are an enhancement, although I think the Valley Gardens look all right as they are.
“I just wonder if businesses will use them – will it also take small businesses away from Queen Street because they can rent one cheaper? The proof of the pudding is in how well they operate and whether they are resistant to the winter times.
“The kiosks are a great idea; however, I am concerned about vandalism and damage. Kids hang around in that area, and because of the height of the banking and the grass and the walls, it would concern me that it was easy for kids to get on the roof of them. We already see them trampolining on the stage roof. I think that they will end up being a target for damage.”
To view or comment on the plans, visit the East Riding Council online planning portal and search for the reference 25/02216/PLF.