The site of Barry's Amusements in Portrush, Co Antrim, has gone on sale as a development opportunity, which could be turned into a hotel or residential accommodation.
The 0.9 hectare (2.23 acre) seafront site went on the market on Friday, with a guide price of £2.75 million (€3.17 million).
Barry’s, which is believed to be Ireland’s longest running amusement park, opened in the seaside town in 1926, and has been a popular destination for holidaymakers on the North coast for generations.
The owners, the Trufelli family, said it was their hope that they would be able to sell the business as a going concern, but they recognised “it may not be possible to find a suitable purchaser”.
For that reason, they said, they had appointed estate agents Savills and Philip Tweedie & Company "to market the site as both a going concern and a development opportunity".
Barry’s was first offered for sale in 2019 as a going concern. It did not reopen for the summer season in 2020 due to Covid-19, and remains closed.
Stunning
Neal Morrison, the director of Savills Ireland, said Portrush was "one of the most stunning seaside locations in Ireland and the opportunity to acquire a site that fronts on to the beautiful West Strand beach is truly rare.
“We expect demand to be strong due to the potential that this site offers,” he said.
Philip Tweedie of joint agents Philip Tweedie & Company described it as “in essence the last true seafront site available in Portrush town,” and said it “should attract a high level of interest from a mix of entrepreneurs and property developers from far and wide”.
