A council has drawn up a shortlist of candidates to take over running a boating lake, boat house and 31-hectare coastal park.

Officers at Swale council say they are ready to begin negotiations with applicants to run Barton's Point Coastal Park at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey.

The current 10-year concession with Mandy Shade was due to expire in June last year but was extended to the end of December. Those interested in taking over the business were invited to the park in May to discuss their ideas.

All were asked to submit a viable three-year business plan together with proposals and vision for the site, their plans for the boathouse, including what type of food was to be served, the desired length of contract, how much they were prepared to invest and how much they wanted to pay the council in rent.

They had to list water sports they could provide, how they would operate the camping area and pitch and putt course, submit their marketing plans and highlight events or "innovative activities" to boost visitor numbers.

For years, the park hosted the annual Sheppey Pirates children's day with water fights and live music but it has seen little action lately apart from canoe hire and the annual visit from Santus Circus.

Applicants also had to include evidence of previous experience.

After reviewing the results, the council has decided to offer a lease instead of appointing a concession.

Emma Wiggins, director of regeneration and neighbourhoods, told members of the regeneration and property committee that the search had generated a "considerable interest" with a "wide range" of applicants with "varying proposals and quality".

She added: "In the process of reviewing the responses, and considering advice from officers in the property and legal departments, officers concluded that a lease of the site, rather than a concession, would provide for greater flexibility in negotiating capital investment from interest parties while reducing the council’s risk and cost for managing the site."

Under the current arrangement, the council is responsible for the maintenance of the buildings, site and services.

Instead, it wants to offer a full insuring and repairing lease so it will not have to foot the bill for repairs in the future.

It will, however, continue to lease land to the model railway and aircraft clubs. Any changes should not affect the Sheppey Sea Cadets, either, who own their own building and will still use the "vast majority" of the boating lake.

The council has already agreed to spend £148,108 replacing the existing toilet block with a new toilets and showers.

It also recently won £85,000 from the Government’s Levelling Up Parks fund to improve the entrance to the car park, install better signs and heritage interpretation boards, work to stop the lake's banks from eroding and tree planting.

Emma Wiggins said: "It has been clear for some time that the site has further potential as a tourist and local resident destination with an all-year-round offering. The end of the existing concession has enabled us to test the market and to gain an understanding of what may be possible."

In a report to members, she added: "Significant capital investment is required to improve the leisure offer and take-up and to maintain the buildings and services in the short and medium term which cannot be funded from council resources."

She said the council-owned land was surplus to requirements and that a leasehold disposal would be better.

The coastal park runs alongside the Queenborough Lines, a Napoleonic defence of Sheerness and a scheduled ancient monument.