Plans to develop former Sheffield Ski Village revealed

The Ski Village has lain derelict since it was destroyed by a fire in 2012

Plans to transform Sheffield's former Ski Village into an outdoor adventure centre have been revealed.

The city council wants a developer to turn the 30-acre site into a "nationally significant attraction", including the possibility of building a snow sports centre.

The ski village has lain derelict since it was destroyed by a fire in 2012.

Councillor Leigh Bramall said he hoped it could become "the jewel in the crown of The Outdoor City".

The Parkwood Springs site is a "viable commercial opportunity" which, if developed, could help attract "thousands more visitors into the city", the council said.

A mountain biking trail centre, urban bike park or national snow sports centre "could be on the cards", it added.

The authority will seek expressions of interest over the coming months.

Live updates on this story and others from South Yorkshire

Sheffield City Council is looking to attract a developer for the site in Parkwood Springs

Sheffield Ski Village opened in 1988

Sheffield City Council said they hoped to turn the site in to a "nationally-significant attraction"

Opened in 1988, the Ski Village helped nurture the talents of future Team GB Olympians James Woods, James Machon and Katie and Molly Summerhayes.

Woods, who finished fifth in the men's Ski Slopestyle event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, has credited it with kick-starting his career.

"For a fact I definitely wouldn't have been a skier," Woods told the BBC in 2014.

"My life wouldn't have had anywhere near the amazing heap of opportunities and experiences I've had."

In a video sent to the BBC, he said he was "more than happy to invest my time and energy" into any project to return the ski village to "what it once was".

Former world champion mountain biker Steve Peat said he was "really excited" about plans to rejuvenate the site.

Skier James Woods is among a number of Team GB athletes to have used the Ski Village

The site was previously owned by businessman Kevin Pullan but is now owned by the council.

Since closing it has suffered several fires, some of which were arson, and Sheffield Council previously condemned it as "a hot spot for vandalism and fly-tipping".

Plans to redevelop the site come three years after the council approved the demolition of Don Valley Stadium.

The Ski Village became a magnet for fly-tipping after it closed

Neill Schofield, chair of the Friends of Parkwood Springs, said: "Lots of people from Sheffield and beyond really enjoyed the old Sheffield Ski Village.

"What we'd like to see now is the site being used again for people to enjoy, as part of our country park in the city."