David Skaith has secured approval for £7 million of combined-authority funding to move Scarborough's Brunswick Centre redevelopment towards planning and construction.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority approved the package at its cabinet meeting in Scarborough on 6 November. It sits alongside an £8 million North Yorkshire Council loan and £3.5 million of Pride in Place funding, taking the proposed public backing to £18.5 million.
The first £1 million will support pre-development work and a new planning application. A further £6 million has been ringfenced for the construction phase, subject to approval of a full business case.
The combined authority says the redeveloped centre could support more than 400 permanent jobs and 160 construction jobs. Those figures are projections rather than completed outcomes.
Members also approved a separate £1 million grant for public-realm and active-travel improvements along Westborough and Vernon Road, improving links between Scarborough railway station and the town centre.
Skaith said bringing the empty centre back into use would be the first landmark step in the area's Mayoral Development Zone. Scarborough is one of three such zones established across the region, alongside York and Selby.
