Sheffield Parkwood: Consultation begins on 'urban park' plan

The Friends of Parkwood Springs group want to see bike tracks and footpaths extended

A public consultation has begun on plans for a 150-hectare "urban country park" close to a city centre.

Sheffield Council revealed its ambitions for a "nationally significant" tourist attraction at Parkwood Springs in 2016.

It has now launched the consultation into a draft 10-year masterplan for the land.

Proposals include a snow sports centre and mountain bike track, as well as a network of new footpaths.

A New Age Traveller site below the derelict ski village is currently at the centre of a Sheffield Council eviction hearing.

Sheffield Ski Village was destroyed by fire in 2012, and councillors have previously said Parkwood could be "the jewel in the crown of the outdoor city".

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Sheffield City Council said it wanted to turn the site into a "nationally significant attraction"

Parkwood stretches across hillside from the Victorian Wardsend Cemetery to Neepsend, and includes the former Viridor landfill.

Cabinet member Mary Lea said: "We have been talking about Parkwood for many years but the time is right now to develop the city's ambitions for a country park complete with outdoor pursuits, mountain bike trails, cycle paths and new and improved footpaths."

She said the "giant urban country park" would "create new green lungs right in the heart of our city".

The six-week consultation will run online until 5 December, with events at Sheffield Winter Garden on 25 October and 12 November from 11:30 to 15:30, and Shirecliffe Community Centre on 30 October from 15:00 to 19:30.