The company behind plans for an indoor climbing centre in York says that the city council’s reasons for refusal are ‘unfounded.’

Earlier this year, City of York Council rejected an application from Huddersfield-based Pure Bouldering for the centre at 16 Kettlestring Lane on the Clifton Moor estate.

The premises, previously occupied by a double glazing manufacturer has lain empty for a year.

Some 8-10 full-time jobs were promised by the prospective venture, but council planning chiefs said it lacked enough parking for its expected customers and this could create a dangerous hazard on nearby streets.

However, the company, which operates as Freeklime Ltd, says in a resubmission of its plans, the site is “well connected” to existing services, including bus and cycle routes.

While some customers would travel by car, the centre would offer nine parking spaces and ten bike spaces. There was also an ‘abundance’ of parking spaces along Kettlestring Lane on evenings and weekends, when the bouldering centre would be at its busiest.

The application continued: “On this basis it has been robustly demonstrated that contrary to earlier concerns, sufficient parking capacity exists along Kettlestring Lane at all times.”

Therefore, the proposals “will not result in any highway safety issues.”

Furthermore, accident data from the site noted only one slight accident in 15 years at a time when the previous occupier of the building would have traded during more normal hours and making parking demand even stronger.

The application concluded: “In summary the application proposes to convert the existing building from a vacant industrial building to a new indoor bouldering centre together with minor external alterations.

The application was identical to what was refused on highways grounds but "significant amounts of parking analysis and customer trading has since been undertaken with this demonstrating that the Council’s concerns are unfounded.”

Freeklime first opened in Huddersfield in 2019 and provides an indoor bouldering environment “with the aim of making it as fun, sociable and inclusive as possible.”

Earlier, the planning application also said: “Freeklime offers a world class bouldering facility and is available to customers on a per-session basis and also offers a monthly membership which allows for unlimited bouldering at an accessible price.

“What really sets Freeklime apart is its inclusive community feel. Freeklime offers social womens and LGBTQIA+ socials, the latter of which has received industry wide attention. Since opening the centre in Huddersfield, membership at Freeklime has grown to over 500 and there is an aspiration for it to become the UK’s number 1 brand for all climbers.”

It also said: “Freeklime has forged some fantastic partnerships, with the likes of Blackdog Outdoors, to promote the mental health benefits of climbing. Freeklime will use the skills of Walltopia, the clear market leader in climbing wall design and manufacturing, to bring a world class bouldering experience to York.”