The Waterpark Problem, Revisited

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Hey Scarborough! Here's what's happening this week 👋

Scarborough's most talked-about white elephant is up for sale again. North Yorkshire Council has put Alpamare back on the market after running it since Benchmark Leisure collapsed in 2023 - and this time the listing comes with a 4.7-hectare plateau next door, the former amusement park site, which has been sitting empty long enough that most people have stopped asking what's going to happen to it.

Elsewhere in town, the Community Diagnostics Centre in Eastfield still has no opening date. It was built to offer scans and X-rays by April. Its water and ventilation systems failed during commissioning. The building is there; it just doesn't function yet.

Down at the harbour, the West Pier redevelopment is now expected to come in at £15 million all-in by November 2028 - four kiosks, public toilets, a store, and an electricity substation. The council's position is that letting it fall into the sea would have cost more.

If you're after something a bit more comfortable this weekend, Hazlewood Castle has a spa break that includes a night's B&B, a two-course dinner, and a 30-minute treatment - housed, as it happens, in a 900-year-old keep between Leeds and York.

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📰 Scarborough Life

🏊 North Bay Waterpark Goes Back on the Market. North Yorkshire Council has put Alpamare up for sale after running it since Benchmark Leisure's collapse in 2023. The listing comes with a bonus: a 4.7-hectare plateau next door, formerly an amusement park, just sitting there.

🏥 Diagnostics Centre Misses Its Own Check-Up. Scarborough's long-awaited Community Diagnostics Centre in Eastfield has no opening date after its water and ventilation systems failed commissioning. It was supposed to be offering scans and X-rays by April.

🏊 Goodwill Appointed to Watch the Watchers. Former Scarborough MP Sir Robert Goodwill has taken a paid role chairing the Yorkshire Bathing Water Partnership - funded by Yorkshire Water, the body that exists to scrutinise. South Bay's bathing water is still rated "poor." Sir Robert says the real problem is Scalby Beck.

⚓ Whitby's Endeavour Sets Sail Again - Possibly. The company behind Whitby's full-size HMS Endeavour replica has gone into liquidation, with assets to be sold off by Barnsley-based Gibson Booth. The ship was bought at auction in 2018 for -155,000 and was previously listed for -1.5 million.

🏰 Hazlewood Castle's Spa is Built into a 900-Year-Old Castle Keep.Hazlewood Castle sits in 77 acres of woodland between Leeds and York, with a thermal spa housed in the original stone walls. A spa break deal covers one night B&B, a 2-course dinner and a 30-minute treatment.Check the reviews before booking

🥐 Seamer Road Gets a Glow-Up. North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to turn a derelict Magnet Kitchen showroom on Seamer Road into a 24-hour PureGym and a Greggs. Planning officers found no suitable alternatives in the town centre.

🪣 West Pier: Expensive, but What's the Alternative? Scarborough's West Pier redevelopment is expected to cost -15 million all-in by November 2028 - four retail kiosks, public toilets, a store, and an electricity substation. The council says letting it collapse would have been worse.

🏫 Whitby School Back to Square One. The Department for Education has blocked Whitby School's bid to join the Wonder Learning Partnership, citing geographical coherence. More than 60 parents attended a meeting to hear the news; the council says its focus remains on "sustained improvement."

🌊 If You Get Into Trouble, Float. The RNLI's Float to Live campaign is back ahead of a summer that could bring nearly 49 million visits to the UK coast. Tilt back, relax, breathe - 193 people drowned accidentally in 2024, 84 per cent of them male.

🚽 Still No Loos for the High Street. Scarborough town centre has no public toilets and no immediate solution in sight, with the Brunswick Centre still closed and businesses refusing temporary units outside their doors. The busy season is approaching regardless.

📚 Books, Beards, and Brontë. Queen St Methodist Church hosts Books by the Beach from 5-7 June, with Sir Alexander McCall Smith, Mary Portas, and Mary Beard among the names appearing in person. This year's festival falls on the 400th anniversary of Scarborough's spa water discovery.

💧 Reservoirs Full, Please Stay Out of Them. Yorkshire Water's reservoirs are sitting at 86.4 per cent capacity - well up on last year - heading into the bank holiday weekend. Rangers will be on patrol; the water is colder than it looks.

🌉 Grosmont Bridge Closes Without Warning. North Yorkshire Council has shut the Grosmont suspension bridge near Whitby after an inspection found structural deterioration on its underside that has worsened rapidly since the last check. A temporary footbridge is being explored.

⭐ Readers’ Choice: Top Posts From Last Issue

🏠Second Homes Row Turns Personal.North Yorkshire’s deputy leader says the backlash over the100% council tax premium on 2nd homeshas crossed a line.

🌸 Overnight package at a royal stately home.The Blossom Break package covers cream tea, a three-course dinner, and breakfast.Check the reviews before booking

🐦Puffins, Cliffs, and a Giant Cuddly Mascot.The Yorkshire Puffin Festival returns toFlamborough on 6-7 June, with clifftop walks, boat trips, and workshops.

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🎸Events, Activities & Live Music

We keep it short here - head to our EVENTS PAGE for links and future events.

Monday, 25 May

09:45 🎯 Social Bowls - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
09:45 🎯 Flat Green Bowling - Burniston & Cloughton Bowling Club, Scarborough
14:00 🧘 Tai Chi Classes - Filey Evron Centre
18:30 🧘 Zumba Fitness Class - Newby & Scalby Community Hall, Scarborough
18:45 🥊 Beat Boxing Fitness - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
19:00 🎶 Big Ideas by the Sea: Folk Club Special - St Mary's Church, Scarborough
19:30 🧘 Clubbercise - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
20:00 🎶 Live Music: Folk Club - The Merchant Irish Bar, Scarborough

Tuesday, 26 May

10:00 🎨 Design a Decorative Tile - Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
11:15 🎯 Social Bowls - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
13:00 🎨 Design a Decorative Tile - Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
14:00 💃 Line Dancing: Improvers - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
14:00 🎨 Afternoon Art Session - Robin Hood's Bay Studio & Gallery
18:15 💃 Ballroom Fitness Class - Newby & Scalby Community Hall, Scarborough
19:30 💃 Modern Jive Lessons - Roscoe Rooms, Scarborough
19:30 🎯 Quiz Night - The Merchant Irish Bar, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 12 Silk Handkerchiefs - St Mary's Church, Scarborough

Wednesday, 27 May

07:00 🎭 Paris '75 Leeds United Euro Cup Final - North Bay Playhouse, Scarborough
10:00 🎨 Junk Sculptures - Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
10:30 🎯 Chess & Conversation - Eastfield Library, Scarborough
10:30 🧘 Zumba Gold Class - Newby & Scalby Community Hall, Scarborough
11:00 💃 Circle Dancing - St. James Community Hall, Scarborough
13:00 🎯 Board Games Sessions - Haddock Hideaway, Scarborough
13:00 🎨 Junk Sculptures - Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
14:00 🎯 Games Afternoon - Village Hall, Gristhorpe
17:00 🧵 SEWcial Sewing & Textile Craft - Stitched by the Beach, Scarborough
18:00 🧵 Sewing Classes with Millie - Burniston Methodist Church, Scarborough
18:45 🧘 Peach Squad: Workout - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
19:30 🧘 Clubbercise - Queen Street Methodist Church, Scarborough
19:30 🎯 Quiz Night & Jackpot - The Ramshill, Scarborough
19:45 🎭 Dial 1 for UK - Stephen Joseph, Scarborough

Thursday, 28 May

09:45 🎯 Social Bowls - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
11:00 🎶 Escape to Happiness - St Martin's Church, Scarborough
18:30 🎨 Evening Art Session - Robin Hood's Bay Studio & Gallery
19:00 🎯 Crossgates Book Club - Crossgates Community Centre, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 Awake My Soul: The Mumford & Sons Story - Stephen Joseph, Scarborough
20:00 🎶 An Evening with… Alastair James - The Crescent Lounge, Scarborough
20:00 🎤 Open Mic - The Imperial Filey
20:30 🎯 Quiz Night - Highlander Hotel, Scarborough

📅 Submit Here (8 days before event date)
Complete starred sections. For a FREE LISTING.

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👋 That’s All For Now 🎬

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Sue | Editor | The Scarborough Rundown

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