Search on for new operator of Hartlepool country park cafe

Hartlepool Borough Council is looking for a tenant to take on the cafe and kitchen at Summerhill Country Park.

It is to be let on a 12-month lease and interested parties are being invited to submit tenders within the next three weeks.

The council said: “This is an exciting opportunity to lease a well equipped kitchen and cafe area as well as an additional external seating area.

“Summerhill has miles of woodland footpaths and cycle tracks that are popular with visitors, and it hosts organised events on a regular basis.”

The tenant will be required to open the cafe outside of Summerhill’s opening hours.

The council says this will include a minimum of five days a week between April and September including 10am-4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Reduced hours based on demand and to be negotiated for October to March and must include Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm.

The cafe is in Summerhill’s Visitor Centre and surrounded by a 100-acre site.

Last July, the council’s Finance and Policy Committee decided to look for a new operator to run the cafe after running it in-house for the previous year.

The council initially looked for not-for-profit organisations or charities to take it on but have now opened it to informal tenders.

The closing date for tenders is noon on Friday, April 27. They should be submitted via the North East Procurement Organisation’s (NEPO) secure online tendering system at https://procontract.due-north.com/Home/About

The full tender document can be viewed on the council’s website at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/downloads/download/804/summerhill_cafe