A preferred bidder has been identified for the sale of Scarborough's Alpamare waterpark, alongside a 99-year peppercorn lease for its adjoining car park.
Scarborough's Alpamare waterpark is set to be sold alongside a 99-year peppercorn lease of the adjoining car park.
The sale of the Alpamare waterpark to an undisclosed buyer is moving ahead, and the council has revealed it plans to lease the site’s 20-space car park in Burniston Road for a peppercorn rent for 99 years.
North Yorkshire Council said a preferred bidder had been identified and that the new owner intends to carry out improvement works before reopening the site in early 2027.
The lease of the car park is intended to support the continued operation of the waterpark, which opened in 2016 with the help of a £9m loan that was granted by the now-defunct Scarborough Borough Council to developer Benchmark Leisure Ltd.
However, the developer went into administration in October 2023, leading North Yorkshire Council to take possession of the site and write off most of the loan.
The leisure park was reopened in July 2024 after current operator, Flamingo Land, based near Malton, secured a contract to run it.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for commercial, property and procurement, Kerry Metcalfe, said:
“This decision notice is a formal step that allows the proposed sale of Alpamare to move forward. It does not mean the sale has been completed.
“In September we confirmed that a preferred bidder has been identified following strong market interest in the site.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), she said:
“This bidder intends to undertake improvement works with a view to reopening the facility during the first quarter of 2027 in a deal that would secure the park’s long-term future through private sector investment. It also allows the council to avoid future operating costs and liabilities for taxpayers.
“Further details about the sale will be made public when the contracts are exchanged, and the sale is finalised.
“Alpamare continues to be operated by Flamingo Land under its existing lease arrangements, which expire on October 31, 2026.”
A successful bid for the waterpark’s purchase was announced in September. The sale will transfer the ownership responsibilities and future liabilities associated with the property to the purchaser, while securing a capital receipt for the council.
The option of leasing out the site under a management agreement was rejected by the council as
“experience has demonstrated that net income is and will remain marginal without material investments into decarbonisation initiatives coupled with a need to undertake significant refreshment and upgrade of the existing plant and building infrastructure”.
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