Scarborough Athletic's return home looks, for the time being, to be on hold.

The KoolSport NCEL Division One side, who currently play at Bridlington Town's Queensgate Stadium, had been hoping to return to the town and play at the former Scarborough FC's ground in the near future.

But, vandalism and arson at the Athletic Ground since it became unused in Summer 2007 have meant that the costs to repair it have skyrocketed.

A report that will be considered by Scarborough Borough Council's cabinet on January 20th recommends that, due to the cost of safe repairs estimated at up to ?600,000, renovating the stadium should not be considered a viable option for the immediate future of football in Scarborough.

More optimistically, the council are looking at starting a consultation process in the near future to establish the long-term needs of the town in terms of leisure facilities.

Scarborough Athletic chairman Simon Cope said: "While we are obviously disappointed that there won't be a return to Scarborough in the immediate future, it is more important that the focus is on the provision of a sustainable facility that can be used by as many community groups as possible.

"Scarborough Borough Council is looking at the long term, and that is completely in line with our way of thinking too.

"We look forward to participating fully in the consultation process to ensure that any proposed new facility meets the needs of Scarborough Athletic FC."