A major waterpark in North Yorkshire is expected to be sold to a new owner after it was taken over by North Yorkshire Council.
A successful bid has been made for Scarborough’s Alpamare waterpark, which was put up for sale by North Yorkshire Council in May.
The local authority took control of the venue in Burniston Road following the collapse of developer Benchmark Leisure Ltd in 2023, before it was reopened in July 2024.
The current operator, Flamingo Land, based near Malton, originally secured a contract to run it for 12 months, with an option to extend its lease for a further year.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for commercial, property and procurement, Kerry Metcalfe, said:
“We are pleased with the level of interest in the sale of Alpamare.
“There are transitional matters to resolve now but the successful bid paves the way for private sector investment in the waterpark that will protect its future as a key visitor attraction and preserve a well-loved local venue.”
She added:
“We were encouraged by the preferred bidder’s proposals for future investment in the site, including plans to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of the facility as part of a wider refurbishment programme.
“The preferred purchaser intends to undertake improvement works with a view to reopening the facility during the first quarter of 2027.”
Cllr Eric Broadbent, who represents the Northstead division on North Yorkshire Council, said:
“I’m happy that North Yorkshire Council has chosen a preferred bidder to run Alpamare.
“It’s been a long-running saga over many, many years, and it’s a vitally important part of our tourism, for the North Bay especially.
“The waterpark has had its ups and downs, and Flamingo Land has done a brilliant job as a sort of caretaker.”
He added:
“The most important thing is that they’ve kept the facility running, and it’s a boon to Scarborough for residents and tourists.
"And at least we can move forward now and get Scarborough, once again, attracting people from all over.”
Property consultants Newmark and Stripe Leisure said there was a “great opportunity to enhance revenue” in developing activities and facilities within the landholding.
The company said:
”These include a large 4.7-hectare plateau, formerly used as an amusement park, and a gateway site with previous consent for a cinema and restaurants."
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.
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”.
Assistant director for commercial, property and procurement at NYC, Ms Metcalfe, said the site’s sale would allow the council to step back from future investment and liabilities, “protecting residents from any further costs”.
She added:
“This is important to us as we do not believe the council is best placed to operate an attraction of this nature.
"Alpamare continues to be operated by Flamingo Land under its existing lease arrangements, which expire on October 31, 2026.”
Cllr Broadbent told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS):
“It’s a brilliant piece of news for tourism.
“We’ve just had a brilliant summer, and now we can look forward to many more summers with Alpamare up and running as it was always meant to be.”
He added that “residents especially” would be glad to hear about stability for the future of the site.
“I know that they do lots of different deals and discounts for our youngsters, so the residents of Scarborough can look forward to it.
“Hopefully there will be some more discounted fees in the winter to keep our own residents happy, and also the tourists will come flocking, so it’s all brilliant news.”
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