EXPERTS are being brought in to give advice on how to re-develop the derelict Royal Opera House at Scarborough, which has been bought by one of the resort's leading seafront amusement arcade families.

The purchase of the 1,000-seat theatre by Nikolas Shaw and his family comes just weeks after Scarborough Council agreed to take action to buy the listed property through a compulsory purchase order, from a Cayman Islands company, which had owned it for several years.

Ken Ferrie, a leading Scarborough building developer and contractor who is acting for the Shaw family, said consultants were being brought in to decide the future of the building which dates back some two centuries.

"We shall be working closely with the borough council on the best way to proceed," he said.

The theatre was saved from demolition in 1976 when Scarborough business tycoon Don Robinson stepped in, bought the building and restored it. It later became a venue for top summer season shows before it was sold to Peter Jay, the 1960s pop star.

However, the theatre fell into disrepair after his entertainments company folded and has since been targeted by arsonists three times.