Outdoor activity centre to close after 50 years

Blue Peris has been used by school children since 1975

An outdoor education centre will close after 50 years due to budget pressures.

Bedford Borough Council has decided to terminate its lease on the Blue Peris Mountain Centre in Snowdonia, North Wales.

The site has offered rock climbing, kayaking and other activities to school children since its inception by what was then the Bedfordshire County Council in 1975.

Council officers said Bedford schools now had access to similar outdoor learning facilities closer to home.

The council cited the need to implement recommendations from its new sport and leisure strategy and meet savings targets in the 2025-26 revenue budget.

The cost of running the centre was expected to rise by £50,000 to £185,000 next year, excluding costs for repairs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Only a third of the centre's bookings scheduled for next year are from Bedford-based groups.

Mayor Tom Wootton signed the decision on Wednesday, which will see the council serve notice to landowner Harpur Trust and shut down the outdoor activity centre by October.

The facilities, held on a 99-year lease at a nominal rent of £1 per year, include accommodation for 73 people and is currently run by leisure contractor Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).

The council cannot assign the lease to another operator, and discussions with GLL and others concluded the site would not be viable to run independently.

If the Harpur Trust sells it, the council will receive 27% of any net proceeds. However, officers warned this share may be "negligible" once dilapidation costs are considered.

Unless called in for debate by borough councillors, the decision will take effect on August 1.