Frontierland: Hopes Morecambe park could become destination again

North West Tonight reporter Katie Barnfield visited Frontierland in 1992 with her cousins.

Lancaster residents said they hope a derelict theme park could become a must-visit destination again.

Frontierland opened in Morecambe in the 1980s, after beginning life as a fairground in 1906, but closed in 1999.

Lancaster City Council bought the site in 2021 and invited interested parties to submit plans for it.

It said it hopes a developer will come forward with an "exciting idea" and that work can begin to transform the park within the next 18 months.

Business owners hope the council will rebuild Frontierland on the site, to attract more families

Lancaster City Councillor Joanne Ainscough said the site could be a fairground again, but only if the idea for the park was good.

"We've just done the public consultation and the majority of people want a site that is a leisure site," she said.

"We have done an expression of interest and the majority of developers came forward with hotels and housing, and that's not really the inspiration we want. We want something that's more exciting.

"If somebody came along with a really brilliant idea for a fairground, why not? But it has to be something that gives the council some money back on its investment but also gives something for both visitors and locals.

"The council does not want this to be sat around for another five, 10 years. The people of Morecambe have had to put up with this white elephant for a very long time. We want it to be done as quickly as possible.

"I'd hope to see that within 12, 18 months we've got something building on site, whether we can achieve that is a different matter."

Lancaster residents said they hope a derelict theme park could become a must-visit destination again

Rita's Cafe has been running on the seafront for nearly 40 years and saw Frontierland come and go.

Owner Lynn Turner said she hoped the council would rebuild Frontierland on the site, to attract more families to the town.

"The amount of families that say how much they miss it, there's nothing else for them really," she said.

"I used to take my children there many years ago and it was a meeting point for people. It's a shame really.

"I think the council would get their money back if they went back to Frontierland.

Rita's Cafe has been running on the seafront for nearly 40 years and saw Frontierland come and go

"It's for Morecambe, it's to bring people back to Morecambe with families," she said.

"They come into Morecambe and they've just got arcades where they spend an absolute fortune. And it's not really good for the kids just going on the machines.

"A lot of businesses have closed down so I think it would do a lot.

"It's really gone down hill Morecambe, it's a shame because it's a beautiful place."