Stibbington outdoor residential centre to close over cash fears

Councillors voted to close Stibbington Centre, near Peterborough, after it failed to break even financially

A residential education centre focussing on outdoor activities for school children is set to close.

Stibbington Centre, near Peterborough, is run by Cambridgeshire County Council, which said declining visitor numbers meant it was facing a "substantial loss".

The site is one of three outdoor learning centres run by the council.

Councillors voted to close the site after a report found it would not make enough money.

At a meeting of the county council's children and young people committee on Tuesday, councillors heard that while Grafham Water, near Huntingdon, and Burwell House, near Cambridge, had recovered following the Covid lockdowns, the Stibbington Centre had not.

Officers explained the centres were required to break even.

A report presented to the committee said the Stibbington Centre was forecast to have a deficit of £134,000 at the end of the financial year.

In comparison, it said Burwell House was expected to see a surplus of £46,000, with Grafham Water forecast to break even, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"Significant investment" was also needed at the Stibbington Centre to make sure it remained a "safe and viable outdoor education centre", said the report.

Officers said that if the councillors decided to close it, the authority could invest more in the remaining two centres.

Councillor Alex Bulat, Labour, asked how confident the officers were that children who currently benefitted from visiting Stibbington Centre would continue to be able to access the other facilities.

Officers said this was a "key concern" for them and they would work with the centre managers and reach out to schools that had visited the site to see what they required and the options available.

A majority of the committee councillors voted to approve the closure.