Birmingham Evening Mail Article
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=1483...
Gone to the wall! Nov 3 2004
By James Cartledge, Evening Mail
Party-going youngsters and climbers were outraged today after a landmark indoor mountaineering centre closed without warning.
Mystery surrounded the speed with which the Rockface site in AB Row, next to Millennium Point, shut its doors on Sunday.
The centre is being bought by regeneration body Advantage West Midlands, which is acquiring land to be cleared by Birmingham City Council for the huge Eastside development.
But the deal was not due to be completed until March and the council said it could have easily remained open for the "foreseeable future".
Angry climbers said Birmingham had lost a "key asset" used by scores of schools, colleges and universities.
One centre user, 33-year-old Army recruiting officer Sgt Rob Stevenson, said: "A lot of people, and especially kids, will lose out.
"This centre was the best in Europe because of the diverse routes, the size and the fact that corporate functions can be organised there.
"This is a huge loss for the city." No-one could be contacted from Rockface today but the site's owners were understood to be considering launching a new site in Lichfield.
A statement on the Rockface website said closure was a "nec-essary part" of the Eastside plan.
"We are sorry and sad to be leaving and know our customers will be disappointed, but we cannot stand in the way of Birmingham's continued renaissance," the statement said.
But the council's regeneration boss, Coun Ken Hardeman, said it was not clear why the centre had shut down so soon.
He said: "We are not able to say why the Rockface has closed now, as the purchase was not due to be completed until March and it could have stayed in operation for the forseeable future."
An Advantage West Midlands spokesman declined to discuss the cost of the purchase, but confirmed the deal would not go through until March.
Charles