Anger at demolition plan for Scarborough’s Futurist Theatre

Senior councillors yesterday agreed officers should discuss the proposals with an undisclosed bidder in greater detail in a move which also paves the way for the demolition of Scarborough’s Futurist Theatre.

Members of Scarborough Borough Council’s cabinet committee were told that two bids had been received for the site. One, supported in principle by councillors yesterday, is a visitor attraction which would feature a rollercoaster and a Space Shot Tower which would propel guests 55 metres into the sky.

A spokeswoman for the council said after yesterday’s cabinet meeting officer recommendations that proposals should be explored further and details of the demolition were “agreed in principle.”

However she said councillors had sought further information about how much money the council would have to pay for the theatre’s demolition under the deal being discussed with the bidder.

“Councillors want to see the costs of demolition before they give the final nod for it to be demolished,” the council spokeswoman said.

A long campaign has been fought by those who wanted to see the Futurist Theatre remain but the venue, which was once one of the best-known seaside venues in the country playing host to names such as The Beatles, has been facing its final curtain for some time after council bosses warned it was “unsustainable” and, together with the surrounding area, suitable for redevelopment.

Nicholas Edwards, the council’s director of business support, said in a report to members: “Given that Bidder A or Bidder B did not express any interest in retaining a theatre of any form within their development proposals consideration must be given to the development opportunities that may be derived from demolishing the Lower Tier Futurist buildings and clearing the site.”

Patricia David, of the Save Our Futurist Group, said she was extremely upset at the decision.

“People are not being listened to. The people of the town 
have been fighting to keep this for 11 years,” she said after the meeting.

She said thousands of people in the seaside town had signed a petition to keep the venue open and said when the authority sought bidders the campaign group was hoping that council would specify that a theatre needed to be included in development proposals.

The lease for the operation of the theatre came to an end at the start of the year.

Details of those behind the bid have not been unveiled but a report to cabinet said at this stage the bidder was proposing that the visitor attraction would include: a landmark building with a magical cave-themed attraction, a glass-fronted building with water cascading down the front, a rollercoaster, an elevated dining venue giving diners views of the North Sea and an undercover botanical garden.

It is also proposed the development offers potential space for residential, office or hotel use.