 Poster: A snowHead
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Plans for a "giant snowdome" on a waterfront location in Southampton have been unveiled by the city's newspaper today.
This report from the Southern Daily Echo.
Be sure to click the front page scan of the paper on that page to see the newsroom video report (which doesn't say any more, but shows major coverage of the story by the paper on several pages).
Proposed location of the snowdome: Map of waterfront with the site
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| Developers have just a matter of days to officially register their interest for the multi-million pound scheme which could bring hundreds of new jobs and thousands of visitors to the city. |
Anyone know who the developers are? Or are there competing developers?
If someone can nip out and buy this paper and post a few more details, that would be interesting.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If it takes as long as Ikea coming to Southampton, then not in my lifetime 
David Ernst you can buy the Echo at Waterloo station.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 25-01-10 13:52; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Boredsurfing, you'll recall that the world's largest snowdome - SSAWS* in Tokyo - was eventually razed to the ground to make way for the Tokyo Ikea.
Which would you prefer - you obviously can't have both.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ernst Goldsmith, Southampton Ikea is possibly the worst shopping experience one can imagine.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| Ernst Goldsmith, Southampton Ikea is possibly the worst shopping experience one can imagine. |
What if they sold flatpack snowdomes?
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The site is a Council owned site and it is they who are tendering for a development partner to design and build (and finance) a "real-snow indoor ski facility along
with associated leisure facilities and other development". The tender process for the project ends on 28th January - hence the press interest. The tender was published on the 2nd December so it's hardly a great "exclusive" for the Echo. Another load of nonsense by journalists trying to hype up the story. The Echo hasn't "unvieled plans" at all merely caught up with the Council's wish to redevelop a site in the City.
The project is merely a wish of the landowners - the Council. They have no developer and no finance, hence the need to tender for an appropriate partner.
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Now it's not like I have the £30 million or so it takes to build a snowdome. But if I had I would not build it on the coast, so effectively halfing my catchment area  . look where all the others are, Basingstoke would surely have a much better catchment area, which would include Southampton.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Kel One could say the same thing about any coastal development - Blackpool for example - yet it still attracts people from a great distance.
Besides, the population of Southampton is approx 240,000, Portsmouth is another 200,000 and Bournmouth has about 170,000. By contrast, Basingstoke has a population of just 85,000. A doorstep catchment of well over 0.6 million doesn't look too bad to me. (But I haven't got £30m either).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Southampton also has a very good dry slope - also owned by the council but operated by a contractor.
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But the market is clearly moving out of dry slope into fridges. Take Hemel as an example. Clearly the Council want to "upgrade".
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Southampton is not the first city to attempt to put skiing on the waterfront. The Cardiff Bay scheme originally incorporated a snowdome, but I believe the proposal has been abandoned - at least for the moment.
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Please please please please please.....(guess where I live!)
To be fair this has been on the rumour mill for quite some time now. The site is previously where TVS then Meridian TV had their production headquarters, but has remained derelict since they moved out quite a few years back. The site is very close to St. Mary's stadium, so anyone who has tried getting there will realise the difficulties of traffic and parking when volume is very high. That said, so long as ample parking is provided on site it's really not a bad location as its slightly out of town and on a dual carriageway. Good luck getting there on a Saturday when a game is on though.
I really hope it happens; and given our council's absolute love of anything retail it could do. It would actually be an attraction of the city, and our council and town planners have severely let us down in the past couple of decades by being so closed-minded to developmental projects like Port Solent and Gunwharf Quays down the road in Portsmouth. We're now crying out for something to pick the city up that doesn't involve only more shopping or housing; this would be a step in the right direction.
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You know it makes sense.
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There's been so many announcements recently it's getting almost farcical, I'll eat my hat if many/any of them actually happen!
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Mon 25-01-10 15:49; edited 1 time in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| Ernst Goldsmith, Southampton Ikea is possibly the worst shopping experience one can imagine. |
Call me controversial, but I'd rather spend a couple of hours in an Ikea than a typical snowdome. Call me sad but my wife and I actually spent a Saturday night in Ikea recently (nice and quiet) and had some dinner and 'unlimited wine' in the restaurant.
Skiing the Tokyo snowdome was an incredible (no exaggeration) experience, and it was pretty close to the sea (on reclaimed land, next to Tokyo Bay). Snowdomes need to be spectacular enough to really pull people back. You need a long enough run to have a real blast.
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Poster: A snowHead
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How profitable are snowdomes? I've often thought it a bit odd that there are three within two hours of each other in the UK (HH, MK, TAM) and a further two within an hour of each other (CFE, CAS), but I expect it's a question of catchment areas. Somewhere coastal is going to be pretty inaccessible to large swathes of the population whereas somewhere central is likely to attract far more visitors.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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queen bodecia you are right - the art of catchment areas is a black art indeed and relies on which part of the population you are trying to "catch".
But as the posts above suggest, this is a Council proposal looking for a developer not an operator seeking permission to develop. Good luck to them but as roga says - don't hold your breath.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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They have been planning an ice rink for 10 years, I don't see a ski slope coming any time soon.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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narc, they used to have an ice rink near Stag Gates just off the Avenue - used to go there as a kid - I didn't know it'd gone.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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narc, that's not really true. There have been various dissenting voices suggesting since the last ice rink closed down 15-20 years ago that a new rink should be installed,but it's never really got any further than that. The closest they seem to have come is with the plans for the next installment of West Quay expansion, which originally included proposals for a concert arena & ice rink. However, this seemed to have hit the dust and the latest plans now just include a new hotel, office blocks and more shops. Just what the city needs.....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I understand there is a plan for a new rink on the site of the old Chantry Hall (St Mary's)
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Butterfly, I learnt to skate there too - as a first year medical student
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| Dav wrote: |
Please please please please please.....(guess where I live!)
To be fair this has been on the rumour mill for quite some time now. The site is previously where TVS then Meridian TV had their production headquarters, but has remained derelict since they moved out quite a few years back. The site is very close to St. Mary's stadium, so anyone who has tried getting there will realise the difficulties of traffic and parking when volume is very high. That said, so long as ample parking is provided on site it's really not a bad location as its slightly out of town and on a dual carriageway. Good luck getting there on a Saturday when a game is on though.
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Not according to the map linked to in the Echo article - http://bit.ly/8gI9XL
That has the proposed development tucked up just north of the Itchen Bridge and south of the stadium, whereas the Meridian studios (IIRC) where much closer to Northam Bridge. See http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/SU4312 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meridian_Broadcasting but I agree with the comments about car parking. Would be a nightmare trying to get to ski on a match day, and difficult from North or East, unless you know the back roads. At least from the West you can get relatively easy to the end of W. quay road but then it's still a bit off a slog around to get across to the proposed location. If they could something with the old train tracks that run down towards the port (cross canute road near the entranct to ocean village) then it might be a bit more of a starter.
Personally I would have thought somewhere up by the Airport might be more useful for this type of project. Even if I had 30m then I'm not sure I'd spend it on developing such a site as it's such a pain to get to. Still saying that Hemel is not exactly on the main road.
bug knows what else you put there though....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'd be really surprised if this happened. I know when the developers of Hemel made the decision to build there they had two things in mind, firstly that there was a dry ski slope already there which guaranteed a client base already and secondly the proximity to London was key.
If I was a betting man I would reckon that Bracknell would be the best bet.
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bertie bassett, my mistake. I hadn't looked properly at the article and just assumed it was Northam Bridge rather than Itchen Bridge (the rumours I'd heard before had been that it would be the old Meridian site which you rightly say is by Northam bridge). That site makes not a lot of difference normally to get there, but it will be hideous to get to on matchdays; the police often close down a number of the roads around the stadium, and with the ensuing traffic generated by up to 32,000 people getting out of town after the game it can be an absolute nightmare.
By the airport (Stoneham) would indeed be a much better option. However, St. Mary's is located where it is because the football club previously tried to build the stadium at Stoneham, complete with athletics stadium and leisure complex, and couldn't get anywhere near permission from the local council for it. One of the biggest stumbling blocks was supposedly that the shops, bars and restaurants associated with the complex would impact upon the community at nearby Eastleigh.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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SnowGod, Surely Pompey's football ground would be a better bet, when they go bust they will need the money to pay the players!
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| kosciosco wrote: |
| SnowGod, Surely Pompey's football ground would be a better bet, when they go bust they will need the money to pay the players! |
Good god man - while Nottarf Krap has been due for demolition for years, who would want to build anything new or attractive in Skatesville  .
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Haha you joke but I know someone who had both hips replaced at 25 allthegiants, 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Dav wrote: |
| One of the biggest stumbling blocks was supposedly that the shops, bars and restaurants associated with the complex would impact upon the community at nearby Eastleigh. |
Which of course is a throbbing metropolis...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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An update on the proposed Southampton Snowdome, again from the Southern Daily Echo , which reports that five rival developers have expressed interest.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If I was a betting man I would reckon that Bracknell would be the best bet.
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Mr John Nike shows no interest in the idea at all, regrettably.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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5 rival developers?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| beanie1 wrote: |
| 5 rival developers? |
marketing fluff from a council chairman desparate to keep job at next election...
£5 gets you £10 it'll never happen - they still can't build a frigging ice rink...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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OMG I really hope this comes off, but as Boredsurfing has already said, we waited more than 10 yrs for the IKEA.
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| bertie bassett wrote: |
| beanie1 wrote: |
| 5 rival developers? |
they still can't build a frigging ice rink... |
That's because no-one really wants one. There's been various tentative proposals for a rink over the years but it's never progressed any further than that as everyone knows it just wouldn't make any money. There was a test case at Xmas 2008 when the council paid for a temporary rink outside the Guildhall; it made a massive financial loss as there was just no interest in it, it was hardly used at all.
I'd be massively surprised if the snow dome actually happened. The worrying thing about it is that the scheme includes the possibility of "bars, restaurants and flats". Knowing our council, the dome, bars and restaurants will hit the dust leaving just yet another ugly block of flats on the plans, doing still nothing for the improvement of the city.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'd love to see a decent indoor fridge built on the side of a hill so the box could be half the height and twice as long for the same volume of refrigerated air.
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FAQ
