Millhouses Park boating lake Sheffield: new operator's boats and prices revealed

The pictures show the new swan boats which will be running at the Sheffield venue, next to Abbeydale Road, which hit the headlines earlier this year when Sheffield Council changed to the contractor on the site after a decade.

The new boats will each carry up to four people on the lake.

A Sheffield Council spokesman said: “The boats are returning at 10am tomorrow, Saturday, May 28. As well as the swans, there will also be dragon boats.”

They have also released pictures of the boards showing the prices. They state a 15-minute session will cost £3 per person, £10 per boat (maximum four people), or £5 single occupancy.

The boating lake at the park on Abbeydale Road has been empty since Sheffield Council ended the licence of the previous operator, Pullins, just before Easter.

The company had run the boats at the site for the previous 12 years.

Sheffield Council had previously stated there would be new ‘swan boats’ on the water, which would look different to those previously operating there.

Park users had praised the work of the Pullins family in running the boats and were surprised there was to be a change.

Sacha Pullin said earlier this month: “Regarding the loss of the boating lake, we are obviously devastated to have lost the licence after developing the Millhouses boating lake facility into a popular family attraction over the last decade.”

Ruth Bell, head of parks and countryside at Sheffield Council, said: “Several parks concessions were due for retender for the 2022-2025 period. As with all council commercial business, we have completed an open and fair tender process, and have to consider all applications.

“We have selected providers who best met the tender criteria and will see a mix of existing and new businesses operating in our parks.”

She added: "We understand that this is very difficult for those who were unsuccessful but we cannot automatically renew at the end of a contract and must conduct a process that is fair to all interested businesses.”

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