Could skiing return to the ski village?

Dear readers — It’s been 14 years since the Sheffield Ski Village went up in smoke. In that time there have been multiple plans, lots of false dawns (and lots more fires). But the years of limbo might finally be coming to an end. 

Last week, Sheffield council announced they had signed a deal with New Zealand-based adventure tourism firm Skyline Enterprises to bring one of their gravity parks to Parkwood Springs. The news was warmly welcomed in Sheffield, including by a group who want to bring snow sports back to the vast site. That’s today’s big story.

As well as that, we have news of another delay to the Local Plan, the start of the British Transplant Games, and a lovely home in Crosspool.

In case you missed it

On Saturday, Dan joined forces with our regular contributor David Bocking to take a closer look at the moorland fires that have plagued the Peak District this summer. Given Sheffield’s proximity to the national park, more frequent and severe fires cause worrying spikes in air pollution for those in the west of the city — and could even endanger life. The question is, can we do anything about it? 

On Wednesday, Mollie reported on the bitter row engulfing Yorkshire ArtSpace, a charity previously hailed by Arts Council England as one of the leading artist studio spaces in Europe. We’ve been aware all was not well since March, when we received a series of cryptic voice notes from an artist who had decided to abandon their studio due to recent events, but it’s taken us until now to unpick what’s been going on. And, since we published that story, even more artists have been in touch with their concerns.

And on Friday, we dug into the University of Sheffield’s involvement in the Defence Universities Alliance. Being selected from 100 applicants to become a founding member of the alliance is likely to result in millions of pounds of government cash being poured into the university to fund defence research — but not everyone is happy about it. This piece sparked a lively debate among readers (with more than 80 comments so far) and we’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

The big picture: Grad all over 🎓

The number of young people in Sheffield wearing posh frocks, silly hats and big smiles can only mean one thing: graduation season is now very much upon us. Over the past month, The Tribune’s freelance photographer Andy Brown has been documenting the ceremonies for The University of Sheffield. For many more joyful shots, see his Instagram page.

The big story: Could skiing return to the ski village?

Top line: After 14 long years of fires and false starts, it looks like there’s finally hope for Parkwood Springs — home to the Sheffield Ski Village from 1988 until 2012, when it infamously burned down. While a New Zealand-based firm called Skyline Enterprises has been expressing interest in redeveloping for a while now, many naysayers insisted this would probably come to nothing. However, last week, Skyline finally put pen to paper, signing a deal with the council to create something new.

Gravity park: Based in Queenstown, New Zealand, Skyline Enterprises are considered to be world leaders in “adventure tourism”. They already operate several “gravity parks” — a downhill karting attraction that is basically a luge without the ice — in New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia. Construction began on the company’s first UK site in Swansea earlier this year.

• The first phase of the development would reportedly include the firm’s signature gravity park offer, alongside a playground, cafe, and an as-yet-unnamed indoor attraction.
• A public consultation on the first phase of the proposals is expected next month, giving people the chance to offer feedback before the company submits a full planning application later this year.

‘Their scheme was naff’: Ever since the original ski village went up in flames in 2012, the council has been eager to see it brought back. In 2016, it began searching for someone to redevelop the old slopes, eventually selecting a consortium led by EXTREME Destinations, who unveiled plans for a £22.5m project in 2018. These plans promised to not only bring back snow sports to Parkwood Springs, but also an indoor sky-diving facility, a live music venue, a Virtual Reality hub and themed accommodation. However, just three years later, the council terminated its agreement with EXTREME, after the consortium failed to make any progress.

Kevin Pullan, the 71-year-old property developer who last owned the former Ski Village, previously told us this was for the best. “Their scheme was naff,” he said when we spoke to him last year, “it was not a patch on what was burned down.” He insisted the site’s tricky location means no redevelopment plan is likely to succeed. “The site is returning to nature and that’s the best thing that could occur, in my view.” 

Road works? I sure hope it does: But the council was determined to make the land attractive enough for a developer to swoop in once more. Last November, with help from a £19.4 million government grant, it began working on plans for a £12m new road, in order to make the site easier to access. 

“The access road project is a vital part of our exciting plans to breathe new life into Parkwood Springs,” said Cllr Ben Miskell — the then chair of the council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee — in January. “It will help unlock the potential of both the proposed leisure facility at the old Ski Village and the wider area.” He added that there had been “positive discussions” with Skyline Enterprises late last year. 

‘A challenging site’: While we heard rumours there might be a big announcement back in March, it’s taken this long for Skyline to be ready to fully commit. Both the firm and Sheffield council say that getting to this stage has been difficult. Sheffield council leader Fran Belbin said there had been “many false starts”, while Skyline Enterprises CEO Geoff McDonald described Parkwood Springs as a “challenging site”. However, he sounded genuinely excited to be finally getting on with it, saying Sheffield was “the ideal city” for their next UK development. “Our adventure and experience brand aligns perfectly with Sheffield’s renowned ‘Outdoor City’ ethos,” he said.

Let it snow: However, the skiers and snowboarders who have been clamouring for the site’s revival for years will be eager to know if there will be more than just a dry luge on offer. While there are no clear answers yet, the announcement suggested this could be part of Skyline’s “longer term vision” for the site. The firm has hinted they might eventually build a zip line and a “surf wave” experience, as well as a dry ski slope.

This came as music to the ears of snowboard instructor Pete Shipston, the founder of the Revive Sheffield Ski Village campaign. The original Sheffield Ski Village helped create multiple Winter Olympians, and the city still has very active university skiing clubs who currently have to go elsewhere to train. Shipston told us that it was “brilliant news” Sheffield was attracting international investment again, and that he was hopeful that his idea to bring back snow sports could be part of Skyline’s future plans.

“They know that Sheffield has an amazing history when it comes to snow sports and there is still a huge appetite for bringing a ski slope back to Sheffield. If Skyline were creative, they could create a pretty cool destination which includes a range of sports like they do in other parts of the world.”

Our take: Not being able to have a laugh every time the ski village catches fire will feel like a loss, to be honest. But it’s a loss that we are prepared to bear if Skyline Enterprises can bring something great to Sheffield. As anyone who visits there will know, Parkwood Springs could be a real asset to the city; a massive green space as big as New York’s Central Park just minutes from the city centre. This plan could secure its future and holds out the prospect of skiing returning to Sheffield for the first time since the ski village burned down in 2012. Fingers crossed we’ll one day see you on the slopes!

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

🚗 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has admitted to the Star that the road between Sheffield and Manchester “needs to be much better than it is”. The new PM visited Sheffield on Thursday — in order to drop in on a family centre in Shirecliffe — and revealed that he’d braved the backlog on Snake Pass to get here. It was “ridiculous,” he said, that “a couple of winding roads and a creaky rail service” were all that connected two of the biggest cities in the north. Is this a sign the Trans-Pennine Connect — a proposal to build a motorway under the Peak District, which we wrote about last month — might really happen?

🏡 Sheffield council has been asked by the government’s Planning Inspectorate to have another think about its next Local Plan, in the hopes that more of the Green Belt can be saved from being turned into housing. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council was asked to “assess six non-green belt sites that developers had suggested for potential housing”: one in Neepsend next to Steelyard Kelham; the Infield Lane Allotments in Darnall; SHU Collegiate Campus; a small plot on Queens Road; a site in Wybourn; and the Manor Lane Depot. While the long, long awaited Local Plan — which will determine where new houses can be built in the city for the next 15 years — was supposed to be finalised last month, government inspectors now say there will need to be another six weeks of public consultation on these latest modifications.

💊 A pharma giant has paid the University of Sheffield $220 million after settling a High Court patent dispute. The university sued AstraZeneca in June 2024, alleging it was “induced to enter into” a 2017 agreement that allowed the company to sell cancer drug olaparib through false representations — AstraZeneca denies any liability. The drug, sold under the brand name Lynparza, made the company $3.3 billion in sales last year. A spokeswoman for Sheffield University said the payout would be shared between the university, the original funder and the academic inventor.

🌱 Private sector allotment firm Roots say they have been ordered by Sheffield council to “rip out” their site near Ecclesfield. As we reported in December, Roots built their second Sheffield site on land off Butterthwaite Lane in May last year, but didn’t apply for planning permission before starting. When they later put in a retrospective planning application, the council turned them down, and have now said they must remove their allotment site in its entirety. The firm revealed the news in an Instagram post yesterday, saying they intended to fight the council's decision every step of the way, like they had successfully in other areas like Bristol and North Somerset. “We’re not going quietly,” they wrote. “We won’t stop until we’re compost.”

The weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on the long-awaited rebirth of the former ski village site at Parkwood Springs. We’d say it’s like a phoenix from the flames but that might not be appropriate.

Home of the week 🏡

This “deceptively spacious” two-bedroom Crosspool terrace offers a delightful blend of modern living and classic character. It also has a beautiful first floor study and a lovely low maintenance garden with a private deck seating area. It is on the market for £250,000.

Things to do 📆

Music 🎸 On Thursday, Heretics Folk Club and Delicious Clam bring the “legendary east coast avant-guitar wrangler” Steve Gunn to their intimate Exchange Street venue. Gunn's career has seen him play with luminaries including Kurt Vile, but it is his solo work that best shows off his esoteric style. Critics often compare his intricate finger-picking technique to Nick Drake, which is obviously high praise indeed. Tickets are £14 and doors open at 8pm.

Sport 🎾 Starting on Thursday in Sheffield is the 48th British Transplant Games 2026. The games begins with an athletes’ parade in the city centre, followed by the opening ceremony at Sheffield City Hall including a performance by the Everly Pregnant Brothers, whose member Pete McKee will be competing in the games. The games runs until Sunday, with 18 events taking place over 16 venues across the city. All events are free and unticketed. 

Talk 💬 On Thursday, visit Sheffield Students’ Union for a talk about the Art History of Studio Ghibli. Helen McCarthy, who wrote the first books in English on anime and on Ghibli's co-founding director Hayao Miyazaki, will take you on a journey through the studio’s history and inspiration, with time to appreciate selected artworks and a list of sources if you want to explore further. The two and a half hour talk begins at 7pm. Tickets are priced £17.50-£32.

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