Water park allowed to serve alcohol from 08:00

Objectors argued that serving alcohol at the water park from 08:00 would be “irresponsible”

A multimillion-pound water park attraction in North Yorkshire has been granted a licence to serve alcohol from 08:00 every day, despite some objections from local residents.

The application for the Alpamare site in Scarborough was approved at a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s licensing sub-committee on Tuesday.

One objector had warned councillors that "alcohol and swimming don’t mix", while another was concerned about noise nuisance.

But Andrew Cunningham, Alpamare's designated premises supervisor, said being allowed to serve alcohol would allow "champagne breakfasts" to be served at the site's spa and would “future-proof” the licence.

The Alpamare water park originally opened in 2016, but had to be taken over by North Yorkshire Council last year after owners Benchmark Leisure Ltd collapsed.

It reopened in July this year after the authority gave leisure firm Flamingo Land a contract to run the £14m site.

While Flamingo Land is the operator of the site, the licensing application was submitted in June by previous owners North Yorkshire Council.

Several conditions were attached to the licence, including a ban on serving alcohol in the children’s area, wave pool, flumes, or changing rooms

Opposing the granting of an alcohol licence, member of the public David Knowles told the committee that “most pubs in Scarborough open around 11:00 - so I don’t see why you need a licence from 08:00 to 22:00".

He added: "All swimming safety organisations say alcohol and swimming don’t mix. One death could close the place for good, so I think you really need to consider this."

Meanwhile, local resident Rita Holmes, the manager of a nearby apartment complex, also urged the committee not to grant the licence.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Ms Holmes said she could hear the noise from the water park inside her property and warned that serving alcohol “would make matters worse”.

Neither police nor North Yorkshire Council made any objections to the application

However, premises supervisor Mr Cunningham told committee members that alcohol would only be sold to people who had bought a ticket to the water park.

A "Challenge 25" policy would also be in place, he said, adding that drinks in glass bottles, such as champagne or wine, would first be decanted into plastic containers.

Alcohol would also be prohibited in the children’s area, wave pool, flumes, or changing rooms, councillors heard.

The licence application received no objections from North Yorkshire Police or North Yorkshire Council.

Councillor Tim Grogan, the committee's chair, said the decision to grant the alcohol licence was made "having taken into consideration all the paperwork and the variables presented today".

Mr Grogan, a former police and licensing officer, said the committee had not taken the decision "lightly", warning that "if this premises operates outside the licence, it can be reviewed”.

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