North Yorkshire Council's Executive committee has approved the launch of a "soft market testing exercise" for the redevelopment of Scarborough's North Bay.
The exercise aims to gather ideas from the market regarding potential development opportunities for the area, which includes the Alpamare waterpark and other undeveloped land.
Aims of the Soft Market Testing Exercise
The council is seeking to understand market interest and potential for future development of the sites. The soft market testing will inform the council's future proposals for the sites and will be used to shape a future "disposal strategy" for unusued land it owns. According to the council, the primary goal is to inform the Council on future opportunities and market interest in the sites and guide the Council in taking forward proposals that might best capture their objectives.
Councillor Mark Crane says the idea is to see what ideas private developers have that could enhance the area.
The objectives of the soft market testing exercise are:
- To deliver a viable long-term development, which enables effective cross-subsidising of sites and maximises economic benefits for the local area, while delivering significant financial returns to the council.
- To utilise North Bay’s natural capital and promote high-quality development to create an identity for the North Bay area, providing a contrast to the South Bay.
- To deliver development that is complementary to existing uses, such as the Open-Air Theatre, North Bay Railway, and Peasholm Park.
- To drive economic benefit through development that supports the visitor offering of Scarborough and the wider area.
- To continue the operation of a water park as one of the long-term attractions in the North Bay area.
The sites included in the soft market testing exercise are:
- Site 1: North Bay Gateway – Formerly Atlantis Waterpark
- Site 2: Scarborough Heights – Formerly Marvel’s amusement park
- Site 3: Northstead Gardens – Formally Kinderland
- Site 4: Former Indoor Pool & Off-street Car Parking
- Site 5: Alpamare Waterpark & Off-street Car Parking
- Site 6: Footpaths
At the Executive meeting yesterday, local Councillor Liz Colling raised concerns about the initial objectives, stating that they focused on visitors and did not explicitly mention residents. Liz Colling emphasised that the North Bay is "well-used and loved by residents and visitors alike" and that any redevelopment should allow, enable, and enhance that for local people. Councillor Colling said many of the aims were drawn from the work done by the former Scarborough Council which created a Masterplan for the area back in 2022 that was never implimented due to the local government reorganisation.
Councillor Mark Crane acknowledged the need to include residents in the considerations and apologised that this was not explicitly in the report. He confirmed that the points raised would be included when the council goes out for the soft market testing. He stated, "we do have to consider residents,"
Council Officer Kerri Levitt clarified that residents had been referenced in the documents, and that it was an omission in the report. Levitt also offered to share the soft market testing documents with Councillor Colling before their release. Levitt noted, "that is already reflected within the softmarket testing documents about residents".
The Soft Market Testing Process
The council is not putting forward any specific suggestions for the usage of the sites, and is seeking ideas from the market. It is expected that the proposals received will vary, with some being more attractive than others.
The Council's Corporate Director for Community Development, Nic Harne, says the council's job is to gather these views, understand the opportunities, and bring them back for further consideration.
The soft market testing documents will include eight questions for interested parties to answer, covering topics such as their organisation's experience, views on the sites, and preferred delivery routes. The council is also looking to see if there is interest in including a wider package of development sites. The exercise is scheduled to launch in mid-February and run for four to six weeks.
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