A NEW 70,000 sq. ft. leisure complex in Benfield has been granted approval by Newcastle City Council.
The Fun Shack Group, the North East operators of one of Europe’s largest indoor playgrounds, has been granted approval for the £3m project which will transform a large, empty warehouse in the east end of Newcastle into a giant indoor adventure park. The site will boast a 150 bed Jump 360 trampoline park, a Clip N Climb climbing centre and a Fun Shack children’s indoor play centre.
A Jump 360 trampoline park will make up one part of the giant family leisure facility. The site will also host a Fun Shack play centre, including one of the biggest play frames in Europe, a laser tag arena, go karts, canon arena, high ropes course and toddler village.
Jump 360 Benfield will be the biggest trampoline park in the North East of England and the second Newcastle based site for the company, the first will open in Benton in July 2017. As well as over 150 trampolines, visitors can also enjoy a variety of activities including airbags, foam pits, ziplines and dodgeball courts.
The complex, opening winter 2017, will be located within the Benfield Business Park, directly next to the Walkergate Metro station. The management team hope it will create 100 jobs for the North East with recruitment opening soon for a range of roles including front of house, catering and management positions.
Stuart Freeman, director at Jump 360 said, “We are thrilled to have been given the go ahead by Newcastle City Council and want to thank them for their support of the project. We can’t wait to welcome visitors along to enjoy all our exciting experiences under one roof – Fun Shack and Jump 360 are already very popular in the wider region and we know that families are going to be really excited about when they see what we have in store.”
“The Benfield site is the fourth of seven new Jump 360 parks that we have planned for the North East over the next two years and I am proud to be able to continue to contribute to creating a vibrant and thriving region for people to live and work. We hope help the local community by providing free sessions for schools to help encourage children to get active and live a healthier lifestyle. The facility will help the local community on a broader, more active level in a similar manner to Fun Shack’s existing facilities across the North East.”
The Fun Shack group, which is comprised of Fun Shack, Jump 360 and Clip N Climb centres, is owned by brothers Craig and Stuart, alongside their partners Andrea and Georgette. The group currently employs over 140 people across the company, all based in the North East with the addition of the two new Newcastle parks bringing this total to almost 300.
The new site will be the third Fun Shack play centre in the region, with popular centres currently open in Seaham and Stockton. Jump 360 trampoline parks are currently open in Stockton and Hartlepool with a third venue set to open in Benton, Newcastle in July 2017.