Underway at last (From Gazette & Herald)

Underway at last

THE long-running scheme to redevelop Scarborough's derelict South Bay pool complex has finally got underway.

Labelled the town's worst eyesore for years by tourists and residents alike, the pool, which opened in 1915, has been a target for vandals since it closed 14 years ago.

The £1.2m scheme to fill in the pool with thousands of tonnes of rubble from the demolished houses on the town's Edgehill estate and the former St Mary's Hospital, has been started. A temporary landing platform is being built at the Aquarium Top slipway to enable giant trucks to get access to the pool site.

The scheme, which involves major landscaping and creating a new area for holiday-making families, is expected to be completed by August, said a borough council spokesman.

He said that by using the large amount of rubble, council tax payers would be saved £200,000.

The contract for the work, which is being largely funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Government's regional development agency, has been awarded to the Newcastle-based company Edmund Nuttall which is already carrying out the sea defence work at Scarborough's Marine Drive.

Future ideas for the prime site, south of The Spa, include creating an outdoor leisure facility for holidaymakers, especially children.

Updated: 15:01 Wednesday, March 26, 2003