The news that the derelict ski village in Parkwood Springs is to be revived in a £22.5 million development scheme surprised many when it was announced on Tuesday. The ski village, which was once the training ground of Olympic athletes will see skiers on its slopes again as sports company Extreme takes over to transform it into a state of the art sports, leisure and entertainment complex.
So, what can we expect?
“We’re still in the planning stage,” Alistair Gosling, Founder and CEO of Extreme told Exposed, “Suffice to say it will be a collection of sports facilities, leisure entertainment and some accommodation, we’re looking to extend that into VR gaming too.”
Reports have hinted at an outdoor mountain bike track, an indoor climbing wall and a snow sports centre as well as shops and restaurants during the later stages of development. It’s expected to be running around 2019.
After a series of fires, the ski slopes themselves are pretty badly damaged, so don’t expect to be seeing the same old tracks in the new development. “We’ll be replacing everything, but we’ll definitely be using the hill!” said Gosling. And it won’t just be a haunt for pro sportspeople either: “It’s for everybody” Gosling told Exposed, “It’s not elite; we want to make it for as many people as possible.”
How did this come about?
After hearing about the site from one of the big property agents, Extreme were keen to snap up the unique spot. “From a site perspective there aren’t many sites in the country where you’ve got this amazing hill and piece of land within one mile of the city centre.” said Gosling, “It felt like an amazing opportunity.”
“On top of that, there was a great alignment between our positioning around extreme and adventure sports and the council’s quest to position the city as an outdoor city.”
Will it be a success?
With the globally renowned brand at the helm, boasting several high profile projects in it’s portfolio, we can have high hopes for the new development. “We’re sports and leisure specialists, with the right thinking, planning and storytelling thought process, and based on the numbers from individual facilities across the UK, we’re pretty confident.”
“With how positive and how helpful Sheffield council have been, and are being, we’re in great shape here. It’s all about that meeting of minds to make it all happen.”
With any luck, this will be a boon for Sheffield, both as part of the Outdoor City plan to make Sheffield an activities destination, and for the local economy. The council have said 100 new full-time jobs would be created from the development.
We’ll see you at the après-ski bar!
You might like to read: Steel Yard: What can we expect from Kelham’s newest development?
Images
Sheffield Ski Village, Parkwood Springs, Sheffield – © Terry Robinson/ geograph.org.uk
Sheffield ski village – Andy Wright/ Flickr
