Sale of site of indoor pool is given go-ahead
Scarborough Council’s cabinet has approved the sale of the former indoor pool, the site of which could be home to a £15m four-star hotel.
The site of the old pool, remembered with great fondness as the place where thousands of children learned to swim, is set to be home to a 100-bedroom hotel, with the council having been approached by Scarborough businessman Nick Thomas MBE about buying the site.
Councillors hope that if the project comes to fruition with planning permissions and completion of the sale, it could bring jobs, apprenticeships and up to half a million pounds worth of purchases a year “within the local supply chain”.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Tony Randerson said the sale of the former pool, which ties in with the council’s North Bay Masterplan, would be “a fantastic boost for the North Bay”.
As part of the masterplan, Scarborough Council has set out an aim of attracting hundreds of thousands of additional visitors every year through new “adrenaline experiences” and “four-star plus” hotels.
Cllr Carl Maw said he was originally “apprehensive” about the plans but said he believed it would be “a destination in its own right” and “will not be in competition” with the other types of hotels in Scarborough.
Cllr Janet Jefferson added that if the project reaches completion, it will be a “flagship for tourism and will promote the town”.
The site has not been in use as a pool since 2017 and in March this year the authority’s appointed contractor, Jennings of Pudsey, began demolition work.
Meanwhile, a 162-acre plot of agricultural land was also approved for sale as part of plans “to rationalise the [council’s] agricultural portfolio”.
The major area of land at Raincliffe Farm, Throxenby, is currently held on a short farm business tenancy to a local farmer and will be put on the open market.
The council’s report states that the tenant is fully aware
of the proposal and has expressed an interest in the land and is waiting for it to come to market.
The tenant previously made an offer which was deemed below market value and was subsequently refused, but now the council says that the sale of the property would provide a “capital receipt which will assist in the delivery” of the North Bay Masterplan.