Purpose

K2 Crawley currently has a climbing facility which has been in place since the facility opened in 2005. Over recent years, we have seen increased competition in the climbing market including clip n climb at Pease Pottage (approximately 1.5miles away) and a proposed new large scale climbing facility at Rowfant (approximately 5 miles away) which has been granted planning permission. Local competition has adversely affected use of the climbing wall at K2 Crawley and with potential for an additional new facility, this reduction in use is expected to be exacerbated. In contrast soft play facilities continue to be extremely popular and many leisure centres have found these to effectively complement the range of other family activities at such venues. Soft play provides children with a safe and secure environment to develop creative skills and social skills as well as the opportunity to improve physical literacy at an early age. K2 Crawley currently has a limited offering for younger children and the proposal is to remove the climbing facility and replace it with a climbing themed soft play facility and parent/carer viewing area. This change of use would have no associated costs for Crawley Borough Council, all costs would be borne by the operator along with any financial risk due to the change of use.

Decision

Option 2 – Remove the climbing facility and provide a new bespoke children’s soft play facility. This new facility will provide a children's activity area along with a social space for parents/carers. Current climbing participants are well catered for at other local facilities. Decision taken in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Retain climbing facility at K2 Crawley. The attendance numbers for this activity are decreasing year on year and this is compounded locally by new facilities opening which cater to specific climbing markets. The reduction in climbing numbers at K2 Crawley would however mean this key central space within the Centre is increasingly under-utilised. Option 2 – Replace the climbing facility with K2 themed soft play facility Provide a bespoke soft play facility catering for babies up to children aged around 12 years old. Attendance numbers for soft play are estimated to be more than double those currently attending climbing, thereby providing activity for a greater number of residents and for an age group for whom there is currently a relatively limited offer.