ALERT- Proposed Olympic Size Climbing Wall
Ferry Meadows Site - Peterborough
Members- if like me you have your fav sites that you regularly visit because of the views, location or site etc, then I firmly believe you should be made aware of the above , as I would want to know!
Nene Park Trust has submittedPlans to build an Olympic size Climbing Wall on Ferry Meadows! The size in total will be a 34.25 mtrs high, which will make it amongst the highest buildings in the City, except it won’t be in the City it will be in our Country Park , which many of you enjoy .
It will be sited in the heart of the Park on the Car park
overlooking Gunwade Lake next to the sailing / cafe building ! That Car Park will be taken up by the wall and an adjoins building which will also contain a subsequent cafe and play area, all of which will be red! Photos can be found both on Pboro Planning Dept Portal where objections and those in favour can have there say as can you! Also photos on Chris Packhams online Petition!
This will be the biggest Climbing Wall in the Country, and by the Nene Park Trusts CEO , Mathew Bradbury has said it will be visible from anywhere in the Park!
As you may know Ferry Meadows is a flood plain that protects Pboro and the specific site is a level 3 flood plain as are the Somerset Levels!!!!! Got it to be built on the flood plain it will have to be Pile Driven into the ground and encased in the building you see in the photos.
This site is also the heart of the Park which is a Central meeting Place ,It also commands the best views over the Park , both Elderly and Disabled make considerable use of this car park! So if Planning permission is given for this Wall then this Car Park will be re located onto Oak Meadow ( currently some overflow parking ) and 200 spaces will be made to start with! Yet more Precious Green Space to lose in times of national Development eating up the Countryside before our eyes ! It is also believed that not far under the surface of Oak Meadow that there are historical artifacts!
Pboro City Council likes to consider itself as a Green City , but the main and preferred tote to access the Park and hence also your Caravan Club site is only Ham Lane !
Mine of the reasons we bought our Motor Home was to get away from it all ! If you google Climbing Walls throughout the Country most of them are built on Industrial sites / brown sites , not in Country Parks ! Bearing in mind that this WILL change the ethos of the Park then go online to the sites already mentioned and read comments made and make your views known! If you did not know about this don’t be surprised as we put a petition together and approx 98% of local Residents knew nothing about it !
The wildlife cannot but help be majorly affected, as the plan is to be also to be able to climb up the outside of the wall up to 10 pm every night , for which purpose the Wall will have to be lit up.
There are other appropriate sites in Pbor that the Wall can go on, then we can all keep our Park as a Country Park !
Thank you for your time .
Comments
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Roll back 50 years and few miles to the north west used to be Rutland. Europes largest man made reservoir, Empingham was built. Was resident at the time. Nature has dealt with that very well in the time since.
The views from the wall will be fantastic.
Construction methods deploying carbon reduced concrete such as being pioneered by Solidia Technologies could be used to learn how to create flood defences elsewhere.
Economic growth for a region blighted.
Developing leisure facilities on land that floods rather than housing seems sensible. Freeing up other land for much needed housing seems sensible too.
If 98% of residents knew nothing about it, are they actually concerned?
Donald Trump could learn how to build a wall
How does wildlife deal with flooding currently? Its the cycle of nature, surely.
Is there a petition to accelerate the development of the wall for balance.
The CAMC can further develop Ferry Meadows to give the new adventurers a better experience.
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There is a bit of info here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-46112124
I wasn't quite clear from the OP's post exactly where it was but I can see now that its next door to the Sailing Club and cafe so not really near to the Club site. Nene Valley Park like many similar places around the country are there to encourage people of all ages to get out in the fresh air. If a Climbing Wall encourages youngsters to go to the Park I am not sure I see anything against that. The Trust that runs the Park will always be looking for ways to sustain the financial security of their charge. The Climbing Wall will no doubt encourage visitors from far and wide.
David
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How high are a lot of the trees in Nene Park,and the proposed car park is already used as a carpark when the park is busy and is laid out so ,63% of people are in favour of the activity centre ,we saw a picture when there in January and the plans submitted have been ammended to take in comments by Park users,which will have included numerous members of the cc ,whose site they would, like us , use quite often,
Ps there is more noise from A47 than the park activities
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the reasons we bought our Motor Home was to get away from it all
perhaps some bought MHs (and caravans) to get nearer to it all?
I suppose you pick your site to fit in with your interests?
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I found Ferry Meadows was in quite an urban environment with a lot of background traffic noise, interesting to walk around and enjoy but certainly not a get away from it all place or very rural in feel. So a climbing wall will just add to the general activities available. Where possible problems might arise would be evening use if it is lit up for after work and school activities and maybe further expansion into other sporting activities? This could happen if costs and maintenance need to be met.
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Were you aware of any train noise?
Used that heritage railway for demonstrating kit for use on the main railway 20 years ago. Cant recall if there was the CAMC site there then.
Unlike down in the New Forest near Ashurst campsite where one Easter holidays we were trialling a rail grinder all week on nights. Not happy campers!! The site reviews remarked on early trains
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Club site has been there since as early as 1981 when we first used it,
Nene valley railway is still used as a "test" line for numerous mainline contractors
there is a "training ?"school for main line on track staff in the yard at Overton (ferry meadows) station
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Looks like a good use of a leisure facility that already exists to me. In fact when it's completed we could well revisit FM and I probably have a try on the Wall myself.
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Alert...... what alert it's a wall and apparently DavidKlyne knows the area well enough to know it's not really near the CMC site.
Posts like this are welcome to inform other members....... but people will make their own minds up about such future developments & will continue to use the site as & when..... if they choose too.
I like the mention of having a zip wire from top of the wall to reception..... now that would be a first. 😜
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I live near FM, and there seems to be split opinions locally about this wall. These diverse opinions align pretty much with either those of the OP, or with many of those who posted here.
i can confirm it is some way away from the club site and I doubt it will be visible from there, simply because of the number of trees, both near the club site, and also in the park itself.
The area does have other “non-rural “ activities already, as the East if England showground is close enough for noise from speedway and from festivals/events (eg Truckfest, Firework Fiesta and The Motorhome Show) so to me, this wall is an addition to the leisure options in the area.
live and let live.
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Another thing, the climbing wall might introduce a new sport to those in the flat South who don't know what a crag looks like!!
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I think this is very much an issue for local people to decide. As an infrequent visitor to the club site, I don’t think I have any right to try to influence the outcome and I feel it might be inappropriate of the OP to encourage members to become involved when they are probably not local folk and have little insight into the aims and possible ramifications, good or bad, of this scheme.
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