Luring ‘adrenaline’ sports fans to town
Proposals for climbing, BMX centre and inland surf facility
Scarborough Council has set out a multi-million-pound plan for joining up and creating new adrenaline activities to make the borough a “destination of choice” for adventure activities.
A new feasibility study and a large public consultation launched by the council aim to establish Scarborough as an international destination of choice for adrenaline experiences and adventure sports.
A feasibility study proposes an “inward capital investment” of £20m to create an “inland surfing centre” as well as investing £2m on a climbing, BMX, and skating centre, with a combined economic gain of up to £1.2m annually.
According to the council, the vision for Scarborough to be a destination for adrenaline sports is driven by the desire to “maximise the interaction” between visitors, enthusiasts, and the natural landscapes that exist in the borough.
It says a “joined-up approach that brings the whole borough together” is required for Scarborough to be “truly considered a destination of choice” while providing “year-round availability for adrenaline experiences and adventure sports” that are linked to commercial and cultural offerings such as hotels, cafés, and equipment stores.
The plan also sets out potential locations for the various activities across Scarborough, Whitby, Filey, Danby, Robin Hood’s Bay, and Cayton Bay.
It ties in with the recently approved North Bay masterplan.
Alongside the public consultation, the council has also published an 88-page feasibility study titled “Adrenaline”, which sets out the strategic roadmap for the project.
Lincolnshire-based Mulhall Leisure Consultancy was
hired by the council to conduct the study.
The study sets out the time, investment, business involvement and marketing required to make the plans a reality, as well as the vision for communications, infrastructure, and digital marketing.
There is an estimate that a £2m investment – half of which would come from the council over 15 years – in a motocross/BMX, climbing, and skating centre could attract more than 110,000 annual visitors, create 10 to 15 jobs, and bring a “total economic gain” of £540,000 per year.
Similarly, the proposed £20m inland surfing centre is predicted to attract 100,000 visitors a year and create 50 to 60 jobs, with an estimated economic gain of half a million pounds.
Overall, the study estimates that up to 277,000 unique visits could be generated from all the activities, with a strong emphasis on attracting visitors from abroad, especially from the Netherlands via existing ferry routes.