Scarborough Alpamare water park staff consulted over possible job cuts

Alpamare in Scarborough's North Bay will remain closed until spring 2024, managers say

Bosses of a Yorkshire water park which has temporarily closed due to soaring gas prices have met staff to discuss the possibility of job losses.

On Wednesday, owners of Alpamare in Scarborough's North Bay said they could not afford to keep it open over winter.

Ed Stevenson, acting on behalf of the £14m attraction, said a consultation process was under way, but "no redundancies have yet been announced".

There was "every intention" of Alpamare reopening in the spring, he added.

However, Mr Stevenson, director of agents Monkey Bizness, representing Alpamare, said it was "an ongoing situation".

Alpamare draws huge numbers of visitors during the summer months, bosses say

Alpamare managers had met the site's workforce on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the possibility of redundancies, he said.

The water park, which first opened in 2016 with help from a £9m bail-out loan from the former Scarborough Borough Council, faced "significant difficulties" as a result of "ongoing cost pressures", in particular the cost of gas, according to Mr Stevenson.

The site's gas bill had tripled since 2021, he said.

Mr Stevenson said Alpamare "makes its profits in the summer months", with over 250,000 people visiting in July and August, although he added that footfall was significantly less during other times of the year.

"Every July and August we could fill Alpamare twice over. But, with the exception of the October half-term break and Christmas holidays, it's not full, so there's a long period of time where we can't afford to operate."

Asked if he could guarantee the park would reopen next year, Mr Stevenson responded: "The decision has not been taken lightly. We have every intention of reopening in spring 2024, but it's an ongoing situation.

"We don't know how our business partners and the local authority will respond."

He accepted households had seen their gas bills reduce, but he said the government's price cap did not apply to businesses.

Under a new scheme running until March 2024, firms get a discount on wholesale prices.

Alpamare bosses have considered closing the two outdoor pools in a last ditch effort to stay open

Alpamare had recently trialled closing on a Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr Stevenson said, but savings were insufficient to justify staying open the remainder of the week during the colder months.

"We looked at closing the outdoor pools, which use the most amount of energy to heat, and keeping the remainder of the park open, but those outdoor pools are significant draws," he said.

Managers were also speaking with energy experts to explore alternatives to gas for heating the pools, he added.

John Ritchie, Scarborough's charter mayor, said he hoped Alpamare's bosses were "true to their intentions and are able to reopen in the spring".

He added: "This is a major attraction, supported at the time [of opening] by the local authority. It would be hugely disappointing were it not to reopen."

Nic Harne, North Yorkshire Council's corporate director of community development, said the authority had not been formally notified of Alpamare's temporary closure.

"While we do not operate the facility, we recognise it is an important attraction for Scarborough and the surrounding area," he said.