Plans for a £15 million investment in Scarborough’s North Bay will be presented to councillors at a meeting of cabinet next week (26 July).
Yorkshire businessman Nick Thomas MBE has put forward plans for a hotel and has offered to buy the site of the former indoor swimming pool in Ryndle Crescent.
At their meeting, councillors will be asked to approve the sale of the land to enable the redevelopment plans to progress to the next stage.
Through his business – Qdos Entertainment – Mr Thomas wants to build a 100-bedroom hotel, including several suites, both with and without sea views.
On the ground floor there would be a bar, restaurant and meeting space.
The hotel would create around 120 new jobs and provide an estimated 70,000 additional overnight bed spaces per year, contributing an extra £3.4 million to the local economy.
Pitched as a four star ‘plus’ hotel, the facility would be promoted as a destination venue which, Mr Thomas says, would not be in direct competition with nearby establishments.
The investment would be funded privately.
A shortage of higher-quality accommodation in Scarborough has been highlighted in several previous studies, not least the recent visitor economy strategy from 2020.
The North Bay masterplan – which was agreed by Scarborough Borough Council’s cabinet at its meeting on 1 July – also includes an ambition to improve facilities for visitors and residents.
A hotel is considered to be complementary to the overall vision for North Bay. It would be the first significant piece of the masterplan to come to fruition.
The pool closed in 2017 when new facilities opened at the sports village and permission to demolish the building was granted in 2021. Work to clear the site started earlier this year.
If approved, the council will benefit from the proceeds of the sale of the land and ongoing income from business rates.
The hotel proposal would mean the loss of some car parking, but this would be mitigated by making greater use of an overspill parking area opposite the proposed hotel.
The North Bay masterplan includes the potential for a multi-storey car park on the former Atlantis site which would provide more space than would be lost at Ryndle Crescent.
The redevelopment of the former pool site is subject to planning permission being granted.
Councillor Liz Colling, cabinet member for inclusive growth, said: “We have an exciting and ambitious vision for Scarborough’s North Bay which is set out in the masterplan that cabinet approved earlier this month. Improving facilities for visitors and residents is central to future development and schemes which could help us achieve this are very welcome.
“We have received an initial offer to buy the former indoor pool site to make way for a new hotel proposition which would be in addition to the existing accommodation offer. If cabinet approves the purchase, we will benefit from the proceeds of the sale which we can reinvest in local services in Scarborough.”
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