New road to improve access to ski village site

Sheffield Ski Village first opened in 1988 but had to close permanently in 2012 after it was destroyed by a fire.

A new £12m road is to be built as part of plans to improve access to the old Sheffield Ski Village site.

The road will connect Oakham Drive with Vale Road, with work also being carried out to improve the junction of Rutland Road and Oakham Drive to accommodate an increase in traffic.

The work is part of a wider programme by Sheffield City Council to open up the site and redevelop the land at Parkwood Springs, funded by a £19.4m government grant.

Earlier this week councillors and Brightside and Hillsborough MP Gill Furniss met with representatives of New Zealand-based company Skyline to discuss plans for "a major outdoor leisure facility" on the site.

Representatives from New Zealand Company Skyline have been back to take a look at the old Sheffield Ski Village site in Neepsend

Skyline have previously spoken about developing the land with a zipline, luge ride and gondola lift among the ideas suggested.

However, access has always been seen as a potential stumbling block, with the only current route along Douglas Road hampered by a railway bridge, making it difficult for coaches and lorries to reach the site.

Council leader Tom Hunt said: "Parkwood Springs is an important part of our regeneration work.

"Our plans to transform the whole area and the old Ski Village site continue to move forward.

"It was great to welcome Skyline back to the city and have positive discussions about their exciting plans for the site.

"We hope to be able to share more information in the Spring."

Previous access to the ski village site was via Douglas Road.

Speaking during their visit, Geoff McDonald, CEO of Skyline Enterprises Ltd said:

"Skyline sees real potential in the Parkwood Springs opportunity and is keen to progress discussions with Sheffield Council on how we can deliver this for the Sheffield community."

Sheffield Ski Village opened in 1988 and provided a training base for several future Winter Olympians. It closed permanently after it was destroyed by fire in April 2012.

In recent years several groups have made attempts to build momentum to reintroduce skiing at the site including the 'Revive Sheffield Ski Village' group who premiered a film at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival 2024 showcasing recent 'wild' snowboarding at the Neepsend site.

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