An £18m (US$30.6m, €22m) water park in the UK seaside town of Scarborough has been given the green light. Developer Benchmark Properties has had proposals approved by the local council, and says the attraction could be open by Easter 2016.

The water park will be operated by German company Alpamare and expects to attract up to half a million visitors annually. Alpamare currently operates four attractions in Europe, with the Scarborough development likely to be similar to one in Ticino, Switzerland.

Benchmark’s Roland Duce said that while Scarborough’s “place in history as the first seaside resort is assured”, the town had to evolve in order to attract new generations of visitors. He said the new park would initially feature four “world-class” water rides that would be on a par with those found at attractions in Dubai and Florida.

It will also include a wave pool, a luxury spa suite and an outdoor iodine infinity pool, while other features are intended to be added to the water park in future development phases.

Located in Scarborough’s North Bay, known as The Sands, the park forms part of a wider redevelopment of the area being undertaken by Benchmark. The council will provide a loan facility for up to £9m (US$15.3m, €11m) towards funding of the water park.

Construction work on the water park is expected to begin in July.