New climbing and activity centre site announced

Plans to transform a site in Bentham into an exciting climbing park with sports and adventure activities have been announced

After many months of speculation, and the odd false dawn, the Directors of 270 Climbing Park are delighted to finally announce plans for their new project. Due to open in 2020, the project will see the redevelopment of Bentham Country Club, situated between Cheltenham and Gloucester, into one of the best climbing centres in the country.

It will become a great attraction for the region and offer a vibrant facility for elite climbers as well as families, groups, clubs and educational establishments.  Impressive plans include a range of indoor climbing walls, reaching to over 15 metres in places, with a large dedicated bouldering area (low-level climbing without ropes), and a dedicated Olympic standard speed climbing wall which will be one of the first in UK.  The climbing centre will cater for a range of abilities from novice climbers to professional rock gym athletes, will feature a fun climbing area for children, an artificial 100 metre caving system, and also provide spaces for yoga and fitness classes and will have a licensed café area.

To compliment the indoor action, there will also be a number of outdoor activities including a competition standard climbing wall (a first for the UK), an outdoor bouldering area, a via ferrata (a vertical series of ladders and obstacles to climb), plus a high ropes course and activity tower.

As part of the transformation, 270 Climbing Park will see the site reconfigured with the two existing domes replaced with one brand-new sports dome. This will house multi-activity courts and pitches, providing areas for a variety of sports and will also include an international-standard bouldering competition wall. Discussions with various local sports clubs about how best to utilise the space are ongoing. It is also hoped the site will incorporate small camping facilities and accommodation pods, offering youth and educational groups from all over the UK the opportunity for short-term stays to make the most of the amenities.

Company Director, David Stevens adds “As the site is within an AONB and Green Belt, we have been working carefully with the Architects to make the design as sympathetic as possible to the environment – using complimentary colours and materials in the process, planting new trees and vegetation etc. The plans also include sinking the main climbing arena two meters into the ground to reduce the visual impact of the building.  We are delighted with the designs and believe they will deliver significant improvements to the site and surrounding area.  The overall project will create new jobs and deliver a best-in-class facility to Gloucestershire”.