An innovative farm diversification scheme to establish a year round Ski and Snowboard Park on the outskirts of Newquay has moved a step closer as father and son farmers Steve and Mark Bucknell have submitted the plans for approval by Carrick District Council Planning Committee.



Since announcing their ambitious plans for the year round facility in March this year the ski enthusiasts have been hard at work refining plans for the £2 million scheme at their 350 acre Trevarthian Farm at Kestle Mill. Particular attention has been paid to local concerns about traffic management and every recommendation of the County Highways office has been met in the revised plans.

Mark Bucknell explains “We feel that the development and consultation stage of our project is completed and that we must now apply for planning permission in order to progress our plans to open in 2007.

We’ve had a lot of help and support in developing our original Winterpark Cornwall concept which we have now refined and rebranded as Cornwall Ski and Snowboard Centre; research showed that this kind of facility had huge support from local and visitors alike and since launching our new website www.cornwallski.com we have been inundated with interest.

It has become very evident that the close links between the skills in skateboarding and surfing come together very effectively in snowboarding so that the inclusion of this sport, together with the more traditional ski-ing has found huge support in the area.”

Steve Bucknell continues “This is a big leap for us, but we profoundly believe that Cornwall needs another high quality year round activity to support the interest in surfing on the north coast. We need to keep innovating to keep Cornwall’s profile as high as possible with visitors who we want to come here year round. It’s a great diversification project and will provide a superb outlet for our farm produce at the same time!”

Plans include a five-star quality, multi activity 4 slope dry ski facility which will be located on the farm’s steep slopes and service both snowboarding and ski-ing. Skiers and boarders will enjoy a fantastically realistic experience thanks to plans to use world leading SnowFlex materials on the slopes. The range in the material on the slopes is astonishing; a 180m long main slope, a 60m beginners slop and a half pipe – only the second in the UK. There will be a mogul run for experts, a free-ride play park with jumps, slides, banks and kickers and two lifts to take skiers and boarders to the top of the hill.

A sprinkler system using recycled water will provide the speed and glide on the slope; specially designed low level down lighters will provide floodlighting to ensure the park can be used all year round – even in the depths of winter.

But for those who want to enjoy the social aspects of the winter sport scene there will be a great club house set in a contemporary lodge, with a restauraunt, café, bar and function room, viewing balcony, shop and retail area, crèche, and full changing facilities.

Environmentally the project has been designed to have a minimal impact on the surrounding area, in addition to the utilisation of recycled water the newly named Cornwall Ski & Snowboard Park will use geothermal heating and cooling, sustainable materials throughout the build and will be extensively landscaped.

It is anticipated the project will create up to 40 new full-time and additional ancillary jobs in the area and will help secure the future of Trevarthian Farm and its pedigree herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Strong links are also planned with the Cornish education sector, with the Bucknell’s keen to play their part in encouraging young people into sport “”Cornwall is the only county that doesn’t have a dry ski slope, we have the ideal field at Trevarthian, close to Cornwall’s leading tourist destination with superb access to the airport and the main arterial routes into Cornwall. We are investing our own money, have had huge levels of support from leading tourism and farming experts, and are confident this is a project which has a huge part to play in the success of the county’s year round economy. We have submitted our plans to Carrick after an extensive period of consultation with planning officers and hope they will meet with approval so we can start building our exciting new project” concludes Steve Bucknell.

[Note from Dunx:
It's worth noting that the news we recently posted on Winter Park Cornwall is from Chris, who used to be involved with Trevarthian Farm. Chris and the Bucknells seem to have parted company and so it currently looks like there are two SnowFlex slopes being proposed for Cornwall. What this means for either project remains to be seen, but naturally, we wish them both well.]

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