Leisure Park in line for new era

12:00pm Tuesday 27th March 2012 in News By Simon Moss

Cllr Clive Sanders Cllr Clive Sanders

A NEW indoor skydiving and skiing centre will launch the regeneration of Basingstoke Leisure Park, according to borough bosses.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council owns the 45-acre leisure park – which is home to 11 tenants including Basingstoke Aquadrome, Bowlplex and Planet Ice – and is expected to start a search for a development partner to help fill some of the remaining 15 acres with new attractions.

Last month, it was announced that specialist company Airkix wants to build a landmark £6million facility on the site. This complex would include a “freefall” indoor wind tunnel, in which the jet of air suspends the gravity-defying skydivers, and a Skiplex indoor skiing simulator.

If it gets approval from planners, the centre would create 50 jobs and is expected to attract nearly 100,000 people a year – and borough council leader Councillor Clive Sanders told The Gazette that more attractions could be on the way.

“This will be the first in a number of new attractions,” he said. “What we want to do is make the leisure park a regional attraction and this is good news for the people of Basingstoke.

“Not only will it draw people from across the region into the local economy, but it will mean we have these fantastic facilities on our doorstep.”

Cllr Sanders said improvements to Basingstoke Aquadrome are also high on the list of priorities to ensure it remains a popular draw for swimmers.

The council last year sought a development partner to help oversee the regeneration of Basing View business park over the next decade, and it is hoped a similar approach can be adopted for the leisure park. The council leases its land to the different groups, which creates rental income.

Cllr Sanders said: “These are exciting times for the town, and it is good for us as a council too.”

Comments(24)

BugBear says...
2:30pm Tue 27 Mar 12

Will the profits be used to reduce the amount of council tax we all pay?

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keepontriking says...
2:58pm Tue 27 Mar 12

Meanwhile people outside Basingstoke have roads planned for across their parks!

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Mrs A G says...
2:59pm Tue 27 Mar 12

Forget about the ski simulator and sky diving centre, they should get a snow dome like Milton Keynes, you would attract alot more people from the South.

The whole area needs updating, if you go anywhere else like Milton Keynes there are so many leisure facilities and good restaurants(!) in one place.

The problem with Basingstoke Council is that they always try and do stuff on the cheap and never quiet pull it off... look at Festival Place - its full of cheap clothing, shoe, 99p and book shops compared to somewhere like Reading who have much nicer shops and places to eat..

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robertspet8 says...
3:10pm Tue 27 Mar 12

Mrs A G says... "The problem with Basingstoke Council is that they always try and do stuff on the cheap and never quiet pull it off... look at Festival Place - its full of cheap clothing, shoe, 99p and book shops compared to somewhere like Reading who have much nicer shops and places to eat..”
Why do people keep blaming the council for Festival Place which is owned and operated by a private company?
I agree a snow dome would be fantastic though.

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martin65 says...
4:08pm Tue 27 Mar 12

We could do with some more and better resturants in the now tatty leisure park.
I would like to see the awful kfc replaced by a tgi fridays or harry ramsdens the spruce goose is good though.
As for festival place it is suffering the same problems as retail nationwide in the recession and they have to get whatever tenants they can basingstoke is not as well off an area as alot of people think though.

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InBasingstoke says...
5:45pm Tue 27 Mar 12

BugBear wrote:
Will the profits be used to reduce the amount of council tax we all pay?
Our council tax is pretty **** low considering where our borough is...

now@ Mr A G
and on the cheap?

£300 Million in 1998/9-2002? you call that cheap? and I'm sure you can blame "the council" for a shopping centre operated by a private company for having companies that have shops there, shut down due to the companies financal woes... and full of book shops? Festival Place has 1 and the malls has one? Festival Place has 1 99p store! and the space between Festival Place and the malls has 1. (Festival Place isn't the whole town centre btw)

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STEPH42 says...
6:18pm Tue 27 Mar 12

IT`S GOOD THAT THE LEISURE PARK IS GOING TO HAVE NEW ATTRACTIONS, HOWEVER WILL THERE BE A DEMAND FOR A SKY DIVING FACILITY OR A SKI SLOPE? THESE ATTRACTIONS ARE USUALLY EXPENSIVE, AND IN THESE DAYS OF EVERYONE HAVING LESS MONEY TO SPEND ON LEISURE ACTIVITIES WILL THEY PAY THIER WAY OR IN A FEW YEARS TIME BE STANDING IDLE. THE LEISURE PARK HAS SUFFERED A DECLINE IN VISITORS BECAUSE PEOPLE SIMPLY DONT HAVE THE MONEY TO WASTE ANYMORE.MONEY WILL GET TIGHTER IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS SO WOULD BE NICE IF THE COUNCIL WOULD THINK OF EVERYONE NOT JUST THOSE WITH LOTS OF MONEY TO SPEND. A CRAZY GOLF COURSE WOULD BE NICE, OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES WHERE FAMILIES COULD HAVE A GOOD TIME WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY £100 PLUS ON 1 FAMILY DAY OUT.

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Best_Name_Ever says...
9:04pm Tue 27 Mar 12

Mrs A G wrote:
Forget about the ski simulator and sky diving centre, they should get a snow dome like Milton Keynes, you would attract alot more people from the South.

The whole area needs updating, if you go anywhere else like Milton Keynes there are so many leisure facilities and good restaurants(!) in one place.

The problem with Basingstoke Council is that they always try and do stuff on the cheap and never quiet pull it off... look at Festival Place - its full of cheap clothing, shoe, 99p and book shops compared to somewhere like Reading who have much nicer shops and places to eat..
I disagree. Reading is exactly the same as us...nice shops and restaurants at The Oracle and cheap shops outside! We have a fantastic selection of shops and places to eat. I guess not everyone can be satisfied. But at least they can then go to Reading.

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The _right_stuff says...
9:29pm Tue 27 Mar 12

It's nice to see some good news.

I will definately have a go at the skydiving centre and the skiing simulator.....when you see me...say hello.

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Sam_Walker2 says...
12:57am Wed 28 Mar 12

Look, there's nothing wrong with Festival Place. It's big, it's full of decent shops and restaurants, it's newer than The Oracle (and busier) and it's nice to live so close to a shopping mall. Basingstoke is a great place to go shopping. And the shiny town centre is nothing to be ashamed of either. This is a decent place to live - let them develop the leisure park. How about another Howard Hughes themed attraction?

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Keep_Calm_And_Comment says...
9:57am Wed 28 Mar 12

Just thinking about the marketing slogan.....

"Come to Basingstoke, for the biggest dive in the UK"

It's not selling it to me......

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aazron says...
12:24pm Thu 29 Mar 12

Why does everyone have such a downer on Festival Place. They have a good range of shops although could do with some more due to the closures since Christmas. It is also owned by Grosvenor and not the council. The Council own the Malls which recently went through its regeneration.

It is good that the Council are looking to regenerate the Leisure Park but they need to look more closely at what is in demand.

I agree with Martin65 that something like a TGI's would be a welcomed addition to the area.

It is interesting that they have not yet confirmed where in the Leisure Park this new facility will be located.

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robertspet8 says...
5:28pm Thu 29 Mar 12

aazron says...'It is interesting that they have not yet confirmed where in the Leisure Park this new facility will be located'
Yes, we could have endless speculation about that :-)

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THX 1138 says...
5:42pm Thu 29 Mar 12

This would seem to be good news, but 100,000 customers per year seems a very optimistic forecast, especially in the current economic climate when most people's disposable income is falling.

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robertspet8 says...
4:13pm Fri 30 Mar 12

THX 1138 wrote:
This would seem to be good news, but 100,000 customers per year seems a very optimistic forecast, especially in the current economic climate when most people's disposable income is falling.
The number of customers will be limited by capacity rather than money. If the experience of other similar visitor attractions is anything to go by then there will be more demand than capacity in the first couple of years. The current economic climate will probably only shorten the number of weeks you have to wait to book a session.

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Keep_Calm_And_Comment says...
6:43pm Fri 30 Mar 12

And to coincide with the new facility, the loss of their last bus. Seriously, forget about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, I don't think the left or right hand know where their respective wrists are.

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The _right_stuff says...
11:54pm Fri 30 Mar 12

Personally (as my comments above), I'm looking forward to the ski diving and skii simulator.

so, if there are percieved problems with the buses and falling income etc. Whats the answer ?

Perhaps these forums could come up with some ideas and sort these things out. Make things better for all of us.

I know that there is a problem with having independent bus companies (the contracts etc.), but like the old purple bus from town to the leisure park, couldn't something like that be considered.
And falling incomes, how about 3 for 2 offers, low cost weekly / monthly passes (these are only very quick, lightly thought through resolutions), but you get the idea.
Lets start making things a success in our town and coming up with some great ideas.

I'm only making suggestions.

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martin65 says...
8:11pm Sat 31 Mar 12

Not much chance of a solution to the bus situation as all late buses are paid for by county council subsidy and the county council have got to find £45 million of cuts for 2012/13 which is why late services were cut in the first place.

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martin65 says...
8:11pm Sat 31 Mar 12

Not much chance of a solution to the bus situation as all late buses are paid for by county council subsidy and the county council have got to find £45 million of cuts for 2012/13 which is why late services were cut in the first place.

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martin65 says...
8:11pm Sat 31 Mar 12

Not much chance of a solution to the bus situation as all late buses are paid for by county council subsidy and the county council have got to find £45 million of cuts for 2012/13 which is why late services were cut in the first place.

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martin65 says...
8:11pm Sat 31 Mar 12

Not much chance of a solution to the bus situation as all late buses are paid for by county council subsidy and the county council have got to find £45 million of cuts for 2012/13 which is why late services were cut in the first place.

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robertspet8 says...
4:19pm Mon 2 Apr 12

We need a radical overhaul of our country's approach to public transport. In an urban environment, like Basingstoke, there is an excellent solution using modern technology. Transit sized mini-buses would be used, not on fixed routes, but 'patrolling' between stops and a central hub. When a customer arrives at a bus stop they call for a bus using a vandal proof interactive screen to indicate where they want to get to. A computer then interrogates the system to see which buses are where, with what customers and what journeys they are already committed to. A few milliseconds later the customer is told when a bus will arrive, any interconnection they need to make at the hub, and the expected total journey time. The customer is asked to accept by pre-paying at the bus stop for the journey (oyster card, credit card but no cash and no payments taken on the bus).
The number of buses running at any time is dictated by demand, but buses could run from early to late.
Of course there would be many objections not least from Taxi and bus drivers. But the technolgy is simple - no great infra-structure required because the system operates wirelessly.

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martin65 says...
12:42pm Tue 3 Apr 12

Don't know why my post came out 3 times i only hit post once and there's no edit or delete options here.

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Keep_Calm_And_Comment says...
12:43pm Sun 8 Apr 12

We could afford to subsidise buses if HCC did not have to waste millions giving pensioners free bus passes so they can spend their days doing orbital tours of Basingstoke.

Still best concentrate on one subset of the community for that 'ahhh' factor, than give a **** about people going out after working all week - or - trying to get home from work in the first place.......

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