Sale of former Scarborough swimming pool approved

The site could now be home to a £15 million four-star hotel

Author: Local Democracy Reporter, Anttoni James NumminenPublished 26th Jul 2022

Scarborough Council’s cabinet has approved the sale of a former swimming pool that could be home to a £15m four-star hotel as well as the sale of an agricultural property.

The authority’s cabinet approved the sale of a former indoor swimming pool and a large plot of agricultural land at its meeting on Tuesday July 26, with the properties located in the Woodlands and Scalby wards, respectively.

The former indoor swimming pool is set to be home to a £15m 100-bedroom hotel, with the council already having been approached by HQ Hotels about purchasing 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 swimming 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.

Fellow cabinet member, 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, commenced demolition works on site.

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.

The council has set out how much it expects to make from the sale in a confidential appendix, but this information is being withheld from the public on the grounds that it is “confidential information relating to the financial and business affairs” of the authority.

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