North Yorkshire Council is now looking for an operator to have Scarborough’s Alpamare water park up and running by this summer.
North Yorkshire Council said that its search for a new operator for the Alpamare waterpark has begun with a plan to reopen by the summer season.
The authority took possession of the site in December last year after the water park’s developer and tenant, Benchmark Leisure Ltd, went into administration.
Its closure followed an original announcement about a temporary closure due to high energy costs.
A three-week exercise has now been launched to find an operator to take on a short-term 12-month rental agreement. During that time, work will be undertaken to find a permanent solution on the future operation of the site.
The council’s assistant director for commercial, property and procurement, Kerry Metcalfe, said:
“We are working hard to confirm a new tenant to reopen the facility in time for the main 2024 summer season.
“Once that is in place, we can look to the longer-term options.”
Alpamare opened in Scarborough’s North Bay in 2016 with the help of a £9m bail-out loan from the now-defunct Scarborough Borough Council.
It went into administration last October still owing the council £7.8m but since it took over the site, the council has said there would be “no further payments”.
Now, North Yorkshire Council is hoping to see the attraction reopen to the public in time for the summer 2024 season.
The water park, which is located off Burniston Road, features a wave pool, a splash and play pool, four state-of-the-art slides, two outdoor pools, an alpine-themed spa and treatment area, and a café and terrace bar.
With a capacity of 3,000 people a day, the waterpark was designed to complement Scarborough’s other attractions and although it had been hoped it would attract 500,000 people a year before it opened, a record attendance of over 145,000 people was announced in 2019, turning over £2.4m.
The council was also asked about the progress of its internal auditor’s investigation into the loan which was given behind closed doors by Scarborough Borough Council to Benchmark Leisure.
The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the investigation was “still ongoing”.
More details about the search for a potential operator for the site are available by contacting estates@northyorks.gov.uk
Applications must be lodged by Friday, May 3.
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