PLANS by a Michelin-starred chef to open a seafood restaurant in Whitby could help place the historic town as the seafood capital of the North.

Andrew Pern has announced plans for another restaurant, The Star Inn The Harbour, which will showcase the region’s finest fresh fish and seafood.

It will be located in the current tourist information centre building on Langborne Road, just metres from Whitby's harbour.

Andrew and his business partner Mike Green were selected as the preferred leaseholders following a successful bid to Scarborough Borough Council.

The arrival of such a high-profile restaurant is a boost to Whitby’s existing reputation for seafood and could also bolster the town’s beleaguered fishing industry.

“With the North Sea and its great larder of sea food literally on our doorstep it makes sense to make great use of our great produce,” said Andrew.

“Potentially Whitby could become the Padstow of the North; hopefully if we can do a half decent job other people will follow.”

“At the moment we use fish landed at Whitby and Scarborough and all along the North Sea Coast. The more we add to that buying power, the more people and diners come up here to buy fish.

“We’re right in the middle of the old part of Whitby, right in the heart of its great fishing heritage. We’ll definitely be using people on our doorstep. Whatever we can do to help the local community and economy we will, it will be a privilege to be part of it.”

Earlier this year Whitby held its first lobster and crab festival and in June also took part in the inaugural Fish. Fillet. Feast, festival, a celebration of North Yorkshire’s fishing industry.

Andrew said the restaurant is likely to be a “combination of all three” of his other restaurants, which includes the Michelin-starred The Star Inn in rural Harome, the urban Starr Inn the City in York and the recently opened Mr P’s Curious Tavern on Low Petergate in the city.

The high profile chef was born and brought up on a farm in nearby Sleights and says it was always his intention to open a restaurant in his home town.

“The Star Inn The Harbour will be aimed at locals and tourists alike, as a place to use regularly," he said.

"Locals help to give my restaurants their links with the community and of course, their individual character, and I like to think that the restaurant will truly reflect its location in this very special part of Yorkshire.”

The Star Inn the Harbour will also work with Yorkshire Coast College to offer opportunities and possible apprenticeships to its students.

Andrew Pern also intends to use meat supplied by Radford Butchers from nearby Sleights and game in season from the surrounding estates.

Cllr Derek Bastiman, Leader of Scarborough Borough Council said: “We were extremely impressed with the bid received from Andrew and Mike. It stood out way above the others in terms of matching our vision for investment from a high quality business that will bring new jobs and economic growth to Whitby as well as enhancing the town’s reputation for excellent cuisine in wonderful surroundings.

“The Yorkshire coast is thriving and without a doubt, The Star Inn The Harbour matches our ambition for improving further the area’s attractiveness and vitality.

"It is a hugely exciting development, which should be seen as fabulous news for Whitby, after all, there are not many chefs of Andrew’s calibre that hand pick a coastal town to set up business in.”

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire added: “Our coastal towns are seeing a real renaissance at the moment with significant investment, all of which will not only benefit everyone who lives there, but also the millions of visitors who come to explore our beautiful coastline.”

The restaurant should be open spring /summer next year.