US-based theme park operator, Six Flags, has announced it is to sell its 109-acre AstroWorld in Houston, Texas, USA, but denied that the announcement was a sign for further offloads.

The park will be closed for the last time at the end of the 2005 season in October and Six Flags has appointed estate agents Cushman & Wakefieldto handle the sale.

The group decided to sell the 37-year-old park due to falling revenue and the high cost of upgrading the existing facilities to improve performance.

Kieran Burke, Six Flags’ chief executive, said that proceeds from the sale would be used to reduce the group’s debts.

“We concluded that the best way to unlock value from this site was to sell the property,” he said.

“While we continually review our properties, a unique set of circumstances applies to the AstroWorld property and should not be considered indicative of our intentions for our other parks.”

Six Flags currently operates 30 theme parks across North America. Details: www.sixflags.com