A ”disappointing” number of businesses have come forward to run attractions at Fife’s Craigtoun Country Park.
Fife Council advertised for businesses to get in touch with suggestions for breathing life back into the site outside St Andrews, but only a few are understood to have responded.
Tenders had been invited for operating the miniature railway and running other attractions including putting, boating and food outlets. The deadline was 5pm last Friday and the council has been assessing the offers.
Area services manager Kate Hughes said: ”There seems to be a disappointing response to the tender but we’re looking at our options at the moment.”
It is hoped that aspects of the park could be back up and running by the end of June.
While efforts to attract investment to Craigtoun continue, work has been ongoing to keep the park tidy for the summer.
Ms Hughes praised the Friends of Craigtoun volunteers who have been actively planning a programme of activities for the park.
She said: ”As a council we have maintained the park to ensure it is of a high standard. Our staff have put a lot of work into it, and I have been very encouraged by the Friends of Craigtoun group.”
Loved by generations of youngsters, the park was in the firing line as the council struggled with multi-million-pound savings.
The local authority predicted £50,000 could be saved by removing the admission fee to Craigtoun.
Tens of thousands of people descend on the park every year, with its miniature railway and boating pond among the most popular features. Two miles outside St Andrews, it also has a Dutch village, putting greens, crazy golf, cafe and play area.
There has been an alarming decline in visitor numbers over recent years while 65,000 flocked through the gates in 2001, just 29,500 visited in 2008.
There has been growing concern in recent years about the increasingly dilapidated state of the park, but it is believed a properly marketed Craigtoun could be a major tourist draw for UK and international visitors to St Andrews, as well as again becoming a popular destination for day trippers.
The council confirmed Craigtoun would be free for the foreseeable future and said it was committed to funding to the park for at least another 12 months.