In February news emerged of a new £6 million climbing and sports centre on land between Gloucester and Cheltenham, and now the exact location has been revealed.

Directors of 270 Climbing Park have announced plans to transform a site in Bentham into the climbing park with sports and adventure activities centre, which is expected to create 60 jobs.

Due to open in 2020, the project will see the redevelopment of Bentham Country Club into one of the best climbing centres in the country.

It is hoped the centre 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".

David Stevens, company director of the Maisemore-based business, and former co-owner of Cheltenham's Paragon Laundry, said: "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".

Cheltenham-based Corylus Planning & Environmental is the architects for the scheme. The project will go out to tender to the construction industry once planning has been secured.

The new building would replace the Warehouse Climbing Centre in Gloucester, also run by Mr Stevens, with all staff being offered the chance to apply for jobs at the new business.

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.

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.

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