Anger as move to bulldoze Scarborough's Futurist Theatre is approved

Members of Scarborough Borough Council yesterday agreed the authority should meet the expected £4m cost of bulldozing the Futurist theatre despite a hard-fought campaign to save the venue since its closure two years ago.

The 2,000-seater theatre, which opened on Scarborough’s South Bay in 1921 and has hosted stars such as the Beatles, the Who and the Kinks, has been vacant since its closure in January 2014, with many critics branding the building an eyesore. A new attraction, Flamingo Land Coast, will now be built on the site.

Council leader Derek Bastiman said: “It is a momentous decision for Scarborough because it will rid us of the eyesore which has been boarded up. There has been £1.6m paid in subsidy to the operator of that building in the last 20 years, so I am happy with the decision.

“What is proposed for the new site will be an improvement and an attraction that will help keep Scarborough to the forefront of seaside entertainment.

“I am Scarborough born and bred and I am immensely proud of this town. I will be sorry to see The Futurist go, but it’s not the most iconic of buildings now and we need to move on.

“There will be a timeline for demolition, but it will go back to the planning committee so we do not know of any timescale at this time. I am pleased with the decision today and whatever goes on that site will be infinitely better than what stands there today.”

However, the council’s decision – which saw 22 out of 43 councillors vote to demolish the Futurist – prompted an angry response from campaigners who have staged a hard-fought campaign to save the theatre.

Hundreds of campaigners filled the public gallery for the council meeting yesterday, and those who were not allowed in were able to gather to watch a live recording of proceedings in Mist Bar on St Thomas Street in the town.

Carol Whilkey, 70, from Scarborough, said: “We can fill a theatre. It needs modernising but we have lots of people who can help us.

“I thought the way the council has conducted itself is disgraceful.”

Among the councillors who voiced their opposition to demolishing the building was Coun Norman Murphy, who said: “The Futurist has great heritage, it is nearly 100 years old and is unique. Why would we want to get rid of it? We will regret knocking the building down forever.”

However, Gordon Gibb, the chief executive of Flamingo Land, said: “We completely respect those who have an alternative opinion of what should be done with the Futurist site.

“Now that a decision has been made it is our hope that anyone with Scarborough’s best interests at heart embrace this fantastic opportunity for the town.”