Call to sell Waterworld Portrush as Council reviews surplus assets

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council members say the council must focus on the sale of Waterworld in Portrush.

At this month’s Corporate Policy and Resources Committee meeting, DUP Alderman Mark Fielding asked for an update on the Portrush water play area, which has been vacant since its closure in February 2020.

Ald Fielding reminded members that Portrush’s defunct Dunluce Centre was sold last year for £1.25 million, and constituents’ attention is now on Waterworld and other council facilities no longer in use.

Plans for the Dunluce Centre include a children’s amusements, soft play area, mini golf and arcade, and Ald Fielding noted that he had received queries about Waterworld from constituents in Portrush and beyond.

He added:

“I think five years is a long time and I’m sure there are reasons why it hasn’t been put on the market, but do we sell it in the open market or as an indoor water leisure facility? These are the questions that need to be asked”.

“But at the minute it’s sitting there, there’s negative social media about it, with it being broken into and different things, so [is council] in a position where we can say we’re going to sell it?”

Director of Corporate Services, Moira Quinn, said officers planned to “progress with Waterworld”, alongside a number of other council assets.

Ms Quinn concluded:

“At the minute our solicitors are working in terms of the title and perfecting that, so that whenever a decision is made and it has all come through Land and Property we can progress with that.”

“We have a number of assets which are surplus to requirement and we’ll start working through those in terms of priority.

“There is a vacant post at the minute [for] a Strategic Asset Manager, so we’re going to finalise that job description and that post will be responsible then for progressing those assets through.

“But all of these will come through the Land and Property subcommittee, in accordance with the Estate Strategy and our policies and procedures, hopefully in the not-too-distant the future.

“But in the meantime we’re going to weigh the background in terms of perfecting the title, so when it comes for decision the due diligence is done.”