Scarborough’s Alpamare water park could be sold to new owner

​North Yorkshire Council is examining the possible freehold sale of Alpamare as an operational waterpark as part of a request for proposal (RFP) that has been issued to five specialist leisure agents.

​Last month, the authority said that “all options” are on the table for the waterpark at Burniston Road, which it took control of following the collapse of the site’s developer in 2023.

​The site was reopened in July 2024 under the operators of ​Flamingo Land, based in nearby Malton, which originally secured a contract to run it for 12 months, with an option to extend its lease for a further year.

​Its lease is set to expire at the end of October and Flamingo Land has been informed that “the council is exploring future options for the asset, including a potential disposal”.

​Officers are currently exploring a “range of options for the future of the Alpamare site, having regard to its strategic location within the wider North Bay regeneration area”, councillors were told at a meeting in Whitby this week.

​Cllr Liz Colling, chair of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee, said that five specialist leisure agents had been invited to propose and present potential strategies for the sale of the site.

​The request for proposal (RFP) is intended to inform the North Yorkshire Council’s understanding of market interest and potential approaches, and is “one element of the wider review being undertaken to inform consideration of future options for the Alpamare site”.

​She told the committee: “The RFP will focus on a freehold sale of Alpamare as an operational waterpark.

​“However, bidders may propose offers incorporating one or more vacant development plots within the North Bay area, where this can be justified as necessary to support Alpamare’s long-term financial viability and contribute positively to the wider leisure and entertainment offer.”

​During Flamingo Land’s remaining term of the lease, officers will continue to review and assess options for the future of the Alpamare site, including, but not limited to, a potential disposal.

​However, while officers will work to progress a preferred option within this timeframe, the council said it may be necessary, subject to mutual agreement, to extend the existing agreement with Flamingo Land.

​“Any preferred option arising from this work will be subject to further appraisal and reported to members for consideration at the appropriate time.”

​​The attraction 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.

​But the developer went into administration in October 2023, leading North Yorkshire Council to take possession of the site and write off the £7.8m that remained unpaid.

​​Last year, a fact-finding review by the council’s auditor concluded that the decision to grant a loan to Benchmark Leisure Limited was “undoubtedly risky”.

​In 2024, the council did not rule out subsidising the waterpark in the longer term.