May 17, 2010 Spanish City

A run down and dilapedated looking Spanish City in Whitley Bay. Spanish City was an iconic and famous fairground and amusement park on Tyneside.

£60 million was earmarked by the government for a regeneration scheme in Whitley Bay.^{[citation needed]} At the heart of the scheme is the redevelopment of the Spanish City site with its iconic dome, which was completed in 1912. For many years it was home to a theme park with rides and attractions for holiday makers until falling into decay following the closure of the theme park in the 1990s.

On 20 February 2007, North Tyneside Council announced plans to regenerate the Spanish City and Whitley Bay. The proposed £60 million scheme envisaged the full refurbishment of the Whitley Bay Playhouse and the creation of a cultural hub within the iconic Dome on the seafront although an alternative plan for regeneration [1] has been proposed by a group called The Culture Quarter. A new skatepark opened in the Panama Dip in 2008, following the creation of a new children's play park on Whitley Park the previous year. The swimming pool re-opened after a major refurbishment in March 2009 and the refurbished Playhouse re-opened in September 2009.

Plans for a new library and joint service centre on the site of Whitley Park have proved more controversial and are currently (March 2009) mired in the planning process. Plans for new housing on the site of the former Marine Park and Coquet Park schools, together with a site on the seafront presently occupied by two car parks, have fallen victim to the downturn in housing market and remain on hold.