Plans move closer to Southampton becoming skiing mecca (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Plans move closer to Southampton becoming skiing mecca
10:43am Friday 29th January 2010 in
-
- By Peter Law » Feature Writer
PLANS for a snow dome in Southampton took major step forward today after five rival developers said they wanted to build it.
The developers, who include the UK’s largest indoor ski operator, last night officially registered their interest for the multi-million pound project.
Southampton City Council wants the real-snow ski slope to rise up on the site of the city’s Town Depot, next to the Itchen Bridge.
As revealed by the Daily Echo on Monday, the indoor slope will be covered with tonnes of fresh snow every day and become the skiing mecca of Southern England.
It will also transform the industrial site into a huge leisure centre, which could also include shops, restaurants and flats on the River Itchen waterfront.
Councillor Royston Smith, the council’s deputy leader, said he was pleased with the level of commercial interest shown in the ambitious scheme.
“The fact there are five different people interested in providing an indoor ski facility makes me even more confident it will happen and shows it is a good idea,” Cllr Smith said.
The Daily Echo has learned Sno!Zone, which operates ski slopes at Xscape leisure centres at Leeds, Milton Keynes and Glasgow, is one of the competing developers.
However, the Southampton snow dome will not be an Xscape-style development as the company has no plans to expand that brand at the moment.
Instead SnoZone!, a part of the X-Leisure Group, has teamed up with an unnamed property developer to make a joint bid for the Town Depot site.
Sno!Zone are convinced there is a market for indoor skiing on the south coast and believe Southampton would make an ideal location.
It would be the first snow dome on the south coast, with the nearest almost 100 miles away in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
The council will now assess the financial standing and track record of the five potential developers. In March a shortlist will be selected and invited to submit more detailed bids.
A preferred developer should be appointed later in the year, but work won’t start until after the city’s waste operations are relocated to the docks in 2011.
About 20 surrounding businesses could be forced to make way for the snow dome and the council has confirmed it would consider using its Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers.
Angry business owners, who would be compensated if forced to relocate, claim the council had left them “in the dark” over the redevelopment plans.
Cllr Smith responded: “They will be given all the information they need and we will do everything we can to make sure it is seamless.
“I understand most of it will be relocatable within a short distance of where they are now and that there are lots of opportunities around that area.”
Comments(17)
Jammy Donut
says...
11:20am Fri 29 Jan 10
southy
says...
11:51am Fri 29 Jan 10
what else is there oh yes 1 listed building on london wharf, what the plans for this building, its going to be in the way, plus the crosshouse shelter is a listed building, the council tired to get moved once before to a new location, but told they could not do this. cant put a compulsory purchase order on those buildings,then there is the public slip way and public hard. need crown permission here, where the crown agents will have a public meeting, and if the objections are strong enough, this will block it too.
smith needs to find a new location for this, he going to cost southampton tax payers more money.
Saint Cope
says...
12:31pm Fri 29 Jan 10
Cyber-Fug
says...
1:25pm Fri 29 Jan 10
I assume that this is in your powers seeing as you already now the outcome of an election that hasn't been announced and you know the outcome of a public enquiry over a pipe dream Igloo which never happen.
Surely you could do something useful today and cut the grass in your local part with a pair of nail scissors ?
allsaintsnocurves
says...
1:42pm Fri 29 Jan 10
Remember Labour and the Liberals were kicked out for being too pally with eachother and were no better during their time. The Labour government in general has had far too long ruining our country to be given any more liberties!
southy
says...
1:47pm Fri 29 Jan 10
Cyber-Fug wrote:cyber forget the lottery you only giving money to its perent company in the states.
Southy, could you let me have the lottery numbers for Saturday please ?
I assume that this is in your powers seeing as you already now the outcome of an election that hasn't been announced and you know the outcome of a public enquiry over a pipe dream Igloo which never happen.
Surely you could do something useful today and cut the grass in your local part with a pair of nail scissors ?
talk to people go to meetings and you will know there is a very good chance of an up set coming along. we know how redbridge is going to vote and that be your normal labour, unless tusc puts up a candidate, but wards like shirley its going to be a different matter.
there will be at lest one public meeting and that will be the one the crown estates will order over the public hard and public slip way.
thats what has stop ocean estates going a head with there plans of turning cracknore hard into a private marina. is there will be a pubic meeting over it. and the same will apply here, the moment planning has been put forward.
james47
says...
3:08pm Fri 29 Jan 10
southy wrote:Well the only thing I would agree with southy on would be the desire for people NOT to spend money on the lottery--its a TAX on the poor and the stupid--however Camelot is actually an equal partnership of 5 companies--3 of which are British, plus one french and one japanese. As usual Southy you are lacking in the facts--no surprises there then. Contrary to your opinion, there are no facts to back up your statements. No money goes to the Americans. http://en.wikipedia.
Cyber-Fug wrote: Southy, could you let me have the lottery numbers for Saturday please ? I assume that this is in your powers seeing as you already now the outcome of an election that hasn't been announced and you know the outcome of a public enquiry over a pipe dream Igloo which never happen. Surely you could do something useful today and cut the grass in your local part with a pair of nail scissors ?cyber forget the lottery you only giving money to its perent company in the states. talk to people go to meetings and you will know there is a very good chance of an up set coming along. we know how redbridge is going to vote and that be your normal labour, unless tusc puts up a candidate, but wards like shirley its going to be a different matter. there will be at lest one public meeting and that will be the one the crown estates will order over the public hard and public slip way. thats what has stop ocean estates going a head with there plans of turning cracknore hard into a private marina. is there will be a pubic meeting over it. and the same will apply here, the moment planning has been put forward.
org/wiki/Camelot_Gro
up
With regard to Southy's psychic predictions of the upcoming Communist revolution I wish him well in his quaint outdated theories on the overthrow of the bourgeoisie by the proletariat...
However, back to what matters--what would be REALLY nice is a community snow dome for the people of Southampton and I have best wishes for whomever is able to pull it together--I think it would be great for the city !!! Positive thoughts everyone !!!
SotonNorth
says...
3:50pm Fri 29 Jan 10
southy
says...
3:56pm Fri 29 Jan 10
cadbury schweppes now owned by a american company kraft.
thales electronics plc (Shareholder since 2000 following takeover of racal)
fujitsu services ltd. (successor to icl)
royal mail enterprises ltd.
de la rue holdings plc.
the biggest share holder use to be another american group called gtech corporation who was bought out de la holdings. who are them self a ftse 250 index, main share holder are american.
and when you dive deeper in where the share's are located you be surprise where most are located.
the snowdome at this location will be subject to a public meeting and maybe more.
AndyKos
says...
10:41pm Fri 29 Jan 10
southy wrote:American Wharf is a listed building... BUT if you actually took the time to look at the plans for the redevelopment you'll see that its OUTSIDE the redevelopment area and they have no plans to touch the listed building. The redevelopment can easily work AROUND anything that needs to be preserved. Nobody has anywhere said they plan to bulldoze the whole site, anything that happens will be given due consideration. If you've ever been to that area you will see its a HUGE site, there is plenty of space to redevelop without damaging anything that needs to be preserved.
smith is forgetting there's a local election in may. when we can say goodbye to the tory control council. what else is there oh yes 1 listed building on london wharf, what the plans for this building, its going to be in the way, plus the crosshouse shelter is a listed building, the council tired to get moved once before to a new location, but told they could not do this. cant put a compulsory purchase order on those buildings,then there is the public slip way and public hard. need crown permission here, where the crown agents will have a public meeting, and if the objections are strong enough, this will block it too. smith needs to find a new location for this, he going to cost southampton tax payers more money.
The brochure advertising the development ( http://www.knightfra
nksites.co.uk/townde
potsite/content/Fina
l%20Town%20Depot%20S
ite%20Brouchure.indd
.pdf ) shows that American Wharf is OUTSIDE the development area.
ALSO (and this is a quote from supporting information: http://www.knightfra
nksites.co.uk/townde
potsite/content/supp
ortinginfofinal.pdf )
The existing watersport activities currently located on site must be retained as
part of the redevelopment. If developers consider that a better scheme with
enhanced public access to the waterfront can be created by relocating the
existing water activities, new facilities must be reprovided on site as part of the
scheme.
The council has no intention to just bulldoze the site and destroy everything in its path.
This development wont cost tax-payers money, it will be paid for my the company that backs the project, and finally paid for by the people that use the facilities.
As long as this is done properly, and all the businesses are given all the appropriate information and assistance with relocating - there should not be any business that loses money out of this, or any job losses.
southy
says...
10:53pm Fri 29 Jan 10
AndyKos
says...
11:18pm Fri 29 Jan 10
The Town Depot alone is a HUGE plot of land, almost twice the size of the unfinished development at Ocean Village, if you add in the Land where Travis Perkins is, and Ryde Terrace you have an area atleast the size of west quay retail park. Its a massive area...
I dont know where the crosshouse shelter is exactly, but there is no shortage of space for this development.
AndyKos
says...
11:31pm Fri 29 Jan 10
the area for the proposed development is virtually the same size as hoglands park (that green thing outside debenhams) which is plenty big enough for a little hill with some snow on it.
southy
says...
9:27am Sat 30 Jan 10
and if you look at the area in the that was shaded in blue, it started at itchen bridge whitch is the widest end, and ended up narrow end of town depot, the land is wedge shape, what you have near the bridge is some small industry units where the floating bridge use to be, then you got the public slip way and public hard and on the road that leads to the slips way is the crosshouse shelter, then you got london wharf, then the town depot. from the old floating bridge the river starts to bend inwards while the road curves making the land here get narrow, behind the town depot is a private marina. on the other side of the road you have even more listed buildings.
AndyKos
says...
9:55pm Sat 30 Jan 10
The plan provided by Knight Frank shows the land is available should it be necessary, and thats where the compulsory purchase will come in.
The map with the blue shaded area isnt the whole story, its just a snippet of information the echo published.
If the other units weren't affected, why are the Daily Echo interviewing business owners from outside the blue shaded area? VR Construction is not in that blue shaded area.
Check the facts, they are all available on the knight frank website on the URL I put in a previous comment.
southy
says...
1:54am Sun 31 Jan 10
More News stories
- Series injuries after crash involving manure spreader
- Fuel theft
- Children's online abuse figures revealed
- £20,000 worth of jewellery stolen in home raid
- Redknapp jury sent home
- Girl, 13, given contraceptive implant at school
- We’ll slash ‘well-off’ OAPs' tax discounts
- Don't bulldoze our pub
- Employee jailed for arson attack
- Budget hotel group unveils city vision
Inside the Snow Dome
Most popular
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Red&White Power says...
10:58am Fri 29 Jan 10