Plans for a ski slope and water sports lake at £60m Preston Docks site are poised to get the green light

The application for Phoenix Park, on the western side of the Trax Motor Site in Wallend Road, Preston Docks, will go before Preston Council tomorrow (Thursday, August 10). Officers have recommended it is approved.

What’s it all about?

The man behind the scheme is Eddie Sloane, who owns Trax Motorsport. His company already has planning permission for Phase One of the project, a four-storey facility called the Pioneer Building where young people from 11 to 18 can benefit from a programme of therapeutic residential care and education.

Earlier this year, plans were announced for a new hub to protect children at the £60m site.

The latest application seeks to expand the leisure uses on offer at the site in conjunction and includes the excavation of a 3-hectare and 2m deep leisure lake and a 12m high, 95m long dry ski slope which can also be used in part for uphill/downhill mountain biking.Additionally, the proposal includes the siting of up to 13 lodges for children in care around the northern bank of the proposed lake.

The ski slope

The proposed ski slope would be located to the south west of the existing motocross track and will be created using inert material imported onto the site formed into the shape of the ski slope.

The slope would be 12 metres high and would incorporate solar panels to provide renewable energy to drive the ski lift to take users to the top of the slope.

Running alongside the ski slope would be a mountain bike track providing a down hill run for cyclists to practice.

The ski slope would be for use by those in care staying at the site as well as prebooking for schools and local sports groups but not directly open to the public.

Leisure Lake

The proposed leisure lake would be located at the western end of the site and would be used for canoeing, stand up paddle boarding (SUP) as well as other forms of leisure water craft.

In addition to this the lake will also incorporate a mechanical pully water-ski system to provide for skiing on the lake.

The south bank would include two crescent moon shaped sandy beaches separated by a water-skiing dock.

Open water swimming and fishing will also be available. The lake will be available for public group bookings.

What does Preston Council say?

Preston Council’s planning officers say the proposal would have no severe impact upon highway safety “so long as the site being used by schools and pre-booked groups and is not open to the general public”, and say that issues regarding impacts on a Biological Heritage Site and water contamination matters could be mitigated by conditions applied to the permission.

They say that noise isn’t an issue, as the nearest house is more than 200m away.

What’s the educational background?

For 20 years the Trax Motor Centre Site has provided training and education for children in care together with public access to the motocross and go karting uses.

According to planning documents “the objective of the company was to help the local authority and police force manage and control illegal riding of motorcycles on public land and spaces.