Developers Benchmark Leisure have submitted detailed plans for the next stage of the multi-million pound ‘The Sands’ development in Scarborough to Scarborough Council’s planning department.

These latest plans include a new all-year water park – including giant ‘tornado slide’, family restaurant and holiday homes being built on the site of the former Atlantis water park, Mr Marvels and Kinderland attractions.

As well seeing the return of a top quality attraction for both visitors and locals, it is believed that this new phase of The Sands development will create over 100 new jobs. Figures printed in Scarborough’s Evening News suggest that around 60 jobs will be created at the water park, 35 jobs at the new Scarborough accommodation and 10 jobs at the new Scarborough restaurant.

The new plans indicate that long promised water park is indeed integral to the redevelopment plans of The Sands in order to meet the wider aspirations for the tourism economy in Scarborough.

The new water park will replace the old Atlantis water park, which was demolished several years ago, and will ensure that a major local attraction returns to the North Bay area, helping to regain the holiday resort characteristics which have been sadly lacking for many years.

The new local attraction in Scarborough is expected to be the first part of the development to be brought forward, with construction beginning towards the end of 2013. It is then expected that the rest of the development will follow on over a staggered timescale throughout the next few years.

Not only will visitors and locals soon be able to experience the ‘tornado slide’; the water park will also include a wave pool, children’s pool, outdoor family pool, lazy river and spa.

The site of the former ‘Mr Marvels’ is earmarked for the creation of The Bayview Holiday village, while the old Kinderland is set to be the site of 29 new holiday lodges. Parking for 492 cars will also be created nearby with an overspill car park on Burniston Road.

Nicholas Crane Will Be Documentating Scarborough Tomorrow Night At 9pm On BBC2

A BBC2 programme airing tomorrow night will showcase Scarborough in all it’s glory.

The show is called TOWN and is  presented by Nick Crane who also presents coast another BBC2 hit show.

During the four part series he also visits Ludlow on the Weslh border, Perth the gateway to the Scottish highlands and Totnes in Devon.

The show aim’s to discover each town’s secrets of their survival, the reasons of their enduring appeal and what they can teach people about living the urban dream.

The crew coincided the filming to take place at the same time as The Coastival Festival. They also filmed in a variety of Scarborough locations including James Corrigan’s arcade on the South Bay and The Watermark Cafe on the Marine Drive.

The series also focuses on Scarborough’s way of life and how the town has become “forgotten” over the year’s with viewers been told that by 2030 a staggering 92 per cent of the population will be living in a city.

Former Mayor and Mayoress Hazel Lynskey and Sheila Kettlewell were filmed playing the 2p slot machines, Hazel said.

“The whole team loved the town and enjoyed the atmosphere whilst staying Scarborough hotels. Some of them had never been to Scarborough before and they were really impressed.”

” The programme about Ludlow was very complimentary and this made me feel that Scarborough would hopefully be portrayed in a positive light.”

The UK Professional Surf Tour Will Be Coming To Scarborough in October.

The UK professional surf tour is coming to Scarborough in October it has been announced.

The tour will be hosted in Scarborough for the first time with more than 100 of the UK’s best surfers descending on the North Bay for the action packed weekend on October the 1st to the 2nd, which will see the UK’s best staying in Scarborough hotels.

Surfers will be competing for the UK Professional Surfing title and is hoped to transform the North Bay beach as one of the best surf locations in the UK.

As well as great surfing, it also promises to feature skateboarding, BMX and other extreme sports. There will also be other attractions including DJ’s and live music.

The UK Pro Surf Tour was formed in 1998 by UK Surf Promotions Ltd in a bid to raise the profile of the British surf scene in the UK and to make surfing exciting to the public.

Since then the tour has highlighted the quality of surf conditions and locations in the country and provided a stepping stone for up and comers to raise their profile within the surf industry.

The tour was due to come last year as part of the 360 Extreme Sports Festival last year, but sadly the event was cancelled, but this year looks set to be a great success with some of the best UK surfers battling it out for the top prize.

The Sands Apartments Are Shortlisted For A White Rose Tourism Award

Several local business in Scarborough and the surrounding region have been shortlisted for the 2011 White Rose Tourism Awards for Yorkshire.

The award ceremony which is organised by Welcome To Yorkshire will take place at Doncaster Racecourse on the 10th of October.

Scarborough’s finalists will be competing amongst 94  Yorkshire hotels, attractions and venues who will be split into 16 different categories.

Amongst the Scarborough entries is The Sands Seafront Apartments who are nominated for the Self Catering, Cruisers and Serviced Apartments Award.

Scarborough hotel The Crown Spa is up for two nominations for Large Hotel of the Year and Sustainable Tourism Award, and the awards has also shortlisted The Copper Horse Pub in Seamer in the category for Yorkshire Pub Of The Year.

Chief Executive for Welcome To Yorkshire Gary Verity believes Yorkshire’s tourism industry is enjoying a renaissance and this is reflected in the quality of the entrants for the 2011 awards, he said.

” The level of high quality entries has been outstanding and a firm indication that our tourism industry knows the importance of offering our visitors that extra special experience.”

” Yorkshire’s Tourism economy is booming and the finalist list for the White Rose Awards indicates why.”

Chair of Judges for the awards Barbara Woroncow added.

” Yorkshire has such an abundance of tourism gems, those who made the finalist list should be incredibly proud of themselves.”

Related Internet links

• More on Yorkshire’s White Rose Tourism Awards Here

Jai McDowall Will Be Performing At The Scarborough Open Air Theatre in August.

Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowall is the latest big name to play at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre.

The 24 year old Scot will perform at the Last Night Of The Proms Event which includes Opera legend Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and tv personality Aled Jones most famous as the vocal’s of ‘walking in the air’ the track which accompanied the film The Snowman.

McDowall won £100,000 and the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance after he defeated hot favourite 12 year old Ronan Parke to win the fifth series of Britain’s Got Talent.

His victory which was a shock result was viewed by 12.5 million viewers, who watched him perform a brilliant rendition of the Josh Groban hit To Where You Are.

The show will take place on August 28th and is another major draw to the Open Air Theatre who has already seen Sir Elton John play and is expecting young hip-hop group N-Dubz on Saturay the 30th July.

The next show coming to the town is 80′s Rewind 2011 on Sunday July 24th which will see acts such as Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, ABC, Go West, Dr and the Medics, The Christians, China Crisis and Cutting Crew.

The show follows last year’s event which included the likes of Boy George and Rick Astley and was a huge success.

The Open Air Theatre is certainly bringing in quality acts and this has been extremely beneficial to Scarborough hotels and the tourist trade , who have profited from a number of big names at the venue.

Former British Olympians Denise Richards and Jonathan Edwards Hold The London 2012 Torch

With London 2012 just around the corner Olympic fever is beginning to sweep the nation and hopes are high that Scarborough may join the Olympic buzz, with the torch potentially passing along the Scarborough coastline.

The flame will arrive in the UK on May the 18th 2012 beginning it’s journey at Land’s End in Cornwall before heading off on a 70 day tour of Britain finishing at the end of July just before the start of the games.

Scarborough Council has submitted a document to Olympic bosses highlighting areas of sporting, cultural and historical significance in a quest to bring the torch to the town.
And the town could hold an ace in the hole as Scarborough is the only place in Britain to receive the title of Europe’s Most Enterprising Place.

There is also further reasoning to award the torch to Scarborough as the emblem will be stopping in Middlesbrough, Hull and York suggesting there could be a detour to Scarborough at some point.

Gary Verity Chief Executive of Welcome To Yorkshire said.
” We are hopeful of trying to get the torch as close to as many people as possible in Yorkshire.”
” Nationally the aim is to have the torch within an hour of where people live. In Yorkshire our aim is to get people within 30 minutes if possible and we will be working hard to make this happen.”
Fellow towns such as Filey, Pickering, Whitby, Bridlington and Beverley have also campaigning to get the torch pass through their towns so the heat is on to see which town emerges victorious.

Yorkshire Gold, which is part of Welcome to Yorkshire is aiming to maximise the benefits of an Olympic games on English soil and if Scarborough’s bid is successful the torch could pass local landmarks such as Oliver’s Mount, Peasholm Park and The Open Air Theatre.

Fingers crossed the bid is succesful in what could be a great boost for the Scarborough hotel and tourism industry through the summer months of 2012.

You can nominate people to carry the torch in your region by clicking on the link below.

Related Internet links

• Nominate An Olympic Torch Bearer

Belle Amie Are Confirmed To Support Ellie Goulding At The Open Air Theatre

Belle Amie consisting of Scarborough’s very own Sophia Wardman will be supporting Brit award winner Ellie Goulding at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre on the 11th of June.

X Factor finalists Belle Amie will be providing support as well as DJ Lebrosk.

Tony Viney who is organising the event through company Entourage Global said.

‘ We are pleased to be able to bring Belle Amie home.’

‘ Band member Sophia Wardman is from the town and I think this is a great way to show her how proud we are of what she has achieved in last year’s X Factor.’

Sophia Wardman was also excited as she confirmed the news on her twitter site, she tweeted.

‘morning belles, we are supporting Ellie Goulding in my home town Scarborough on the 11th of June.’

Sam Shrouder from Apollo Leisure and Resorts said.

‘ To bring in an event of this sort really complements the programme. it is crucial for attract younger audiences to the Open Air Theatre, it’s a massive event for Scarborough and the local community.’

David Archer , Scarborough Council’s Strategic Director believes this latest event is another boost for Scarborough hotels and the tourist industry, he said.

‘ The theatre is helping to build on Scarborough’s excellent reputation and is bringing a wide variety of musical entertainment for the benefit of Scarborough locals and tourists.’

‘ It is fantastic that Scarborough has been able to attract such a fabulous talent as Ellie Goulding as well as girl band Belle Amie, it’s a testament to the Open Air Theatre and it’s growing popularity.’

The Mountain Bike World Cup Is Coming To Dalby Forest

North Yorkshie hotels better prepare themselves for a few bikes in late May as Dalby Forest prepares to host the Mountain Bike World Cup.

With so much going on in Dalby Forest and the surrounding area it’s not just a bike race it’s a festival for rider’s around the world.

Now in it’s second year running , the World Cup weekend is focused on the stunt haven that is Dalby Forest. The event was awarded the ‘ Best Cross Country World Cup Round by the UCI and the event last year earned itself special mention by spectators, media and the riders themselves.

Amongst the events this year are the Pro Sprint Eliminator an urban street race in the town of Pickering and the world’s elite battling it out on a series of fearsome trails including the Medusa’s Drop, Worry Gill and Dixon’s Hollow.

Other activities include a chance to take on the pro course and bike demos which give you the opportunity to mix with the stars and find out how the technical teams work.

Tickets are now on general sale an cost around £8 for a ticket on Saturday to just £19 for the whole weekend, there is also child and family passes available.

Related Internet links

• MTB World Cup Website

Scarborough Spa Bridge Has Won An Award From English Rose

The £700,000 restoration of Scarborough’s famous Spa Bridge has won a prestigious award.

North Yorkshire County Council is one of the three winners of the 2011 Historic Bridge and Infrastructure Awards, organised by English Heritage to recognise and encourage excellence and innovation in conservation.

From November 2009 to April 2010 the refurbishment took place with the 184 year old landmark which is close to the historic Grand Hotel Scarborough.

Judges praised the county council’s refurbishment of the bridge which is a key element to Scarborough’s tourist heritage saying it displayed ‘high quality workmanship and attention to detail.

County councillor Gareth Dadd Executive Member For Highways said.

‘ North Yorkshire County Council has a large number of historic and important bridges in its care, ensuring that they are not only conserved as they should be, but also that they are safe for all users, requires enormous expertise-particularly in these times of economic austerity.’

The restoration work  involved the replacement of all the timbers which support the walkway on the bridge, the work was necessary because the edge timbers which were spliced to the main support beams to widen the bridge at some time during its life were sagging and the connections which held these timbers in place suffered from heavy corrosion.

John Smith the County Council’s Bridges and Structures Manager added.

‘ A great deal of forethought went into the engineering of this project and I think the bridge now looks magnificent and something of which everybody in Scarborough can be very proud.’

Dame Kiri Te Kan-awa will be returning to the Open Air after her successful show last year.

This year’s line up for the Scarborough Open Air Theatre has been confirmed by operators Apollo Leisure and Resorts Scarborough.

Returning to the town will be Dame Kiri Te Kan-awa who will be performing as part of the Last Night At The Proms on Sunday the 28th of August.

In addition to August’s operatic event there will be a repeat of last year’s 80′s Rewind event which will be on the 24th of June.

The line up will include ex Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley, ABC, Go West, Cutting Crew , China Crisis, The Christians and Dr and the Medics.

There will also be a two-day event , called Scarborough Fair , which will feature a day of brass band music and a day of folk music .

There is also the presence of Brass and folk acts booked to appear over the weekend of Saturday August 13th and 14th including The Demon Barber Roadshow.

The confirmed acts come after Elton John announced he would be appearing at the Theatre performing the season’s opening event at the beginning of June.

Sam Shrouder a spokesman for Wychwood festivals- the company appointed by Apollo to manage the Scarborough site said.

‘ It was absolutely massive for us to get Sir Elton John. It’s probably the biggest such event in Scarborough. For it to sell out in three hours is phenomenal. He hasn’t played in the area for a long time.’

‘ Last year the 80s Rewind was a massive success not only for the audience but for the bands that played it. Between them this year’s acts have 117 hit singles and albums.’

There is expected to be more acts announced in the coming weeks.

Mr Shrouder added.

‘ We are talking to a couple of other acts that may come here, but nothing is guaranteed yet. ‘

If you’re looking for accommodation whilst seeing a show at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre click on the link below.

Related Internet links

• Clifton Hotel Scarborough