Alpamare Scarborough: Council says it should reopen in summer 2024 and is exploring 'all options' for future

Landowner North Yorkshire Council has taken possession of North Bay’s Alpamare water park after tenant Benchmark Leisure Ltd went into administration in October.

Alpamare opened in 2016 with the help of a £9m bail-out loan from the now-defunct Scarborough Council and as of November last year, it still owed North Yorkshire Council £7.8m.

North Yorkshire Council said contractors would undertake assessments and ensure the site is safe before taking a decision over its future. The facility features indoor and outdoor pools, waterslides and a spa.

Scarborough MP Sir Robert Goodwill believes it is unlikely to remain an all-year-round attraction, given the high running costs: "Given what happened in Ukraine nearly two years ago gas prices mean the economy of operating in the winter are not good.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it ended up being a seasonal facility. There’s not much point saying you have to run it 12 months a year and lose money in winter.

"If that's the alternative to not opening at all that's an acceptable outcome rather than it being closed down and allowed to deteriorate."

The council had been left "holding the baby" but the losses shouldn’t have a major impact on taxpayers, the MP believes. He said: "They still own the asset, but also have the debt which is well in excess of the value of the asset. There is a loss there which will have to be recouped in some way.

"North Yorkshire Council is a much larger council covering a much larger area. Any effect on council tax would be spread over the whole of North Yorkshire in the same way that Harrogate conference centre, another asset which often has the problem of washing its face financially, does."

The council’s deputy leader Gareth Dadd said he “couldn’t disagree” with the MP’s assessment, and with North Yorkshire Council’s budget totalliing £1.4bn a year, they were in a “far better place to weather this event”. He said : “Nobody likes the situation and every penny counts but if this had happened to Scarborough it would have had a far more serious impact financially.”

The MP said he'd only had one email from a constituent over the loss of swimming facilities, saying most people went to the Sports Village, which includes a gym, swimming pool and an artificial football pitch. Shirley Smith, president of the Scarborough Hospitality Association, said Alpamare had been full "every day" across the summer, adding: "I absolutely hope that someone takes it over. We need it in Scarborough. It is one of our biggest attractions." Assistant director for commercial, property and procurement Kerry Metcalfe, said: “We are committed to ensuring that all the necessary assessments and work is undertaken in a thorough and professional manner and that we consider all options for the future operation of the site. Through this, it is hoped that measures will be in place to open the facility in time for the main 2024 summer season.”