BattleKart Sheffield: Indoor go-karting track planned for old warehouse near Meadowhall

Plans have been submitted to transform the empty Wostenholme Machine Knives building on Downgate Drive, Brightside, Sheffield, into an electric go-kart arena.

It would be run by BattleKart, which uses augmented reality technology to create an ‘immersive, video game-like experience’ for drivers. The company already has more than 30 sites around the world, including three in the UK, in Gateshead, Sittingbourne and St Albans.

The planning application, submitted to Sheffield City Council, states: “The proposal presents a unique opportunity to convert a vacant industrial unit into a high-quality leisure facility, generating substantial economic and social benefits for the local community and surrounding areas.

“The scheme is sensitively designed to respect the local context, employing electric go-karts that produce minimal noise.

“Additionally, the location is considered highly suitable from a highways perspective, as the site’s previous use as a storage and distribution centre likely involved higher volumes of vehicular traffic, particularly from larger heavy goods vehicles.”

The application, submitted by Urbana on behalf of the applicant, Zones (Sheffield) Ltd, states that there are no suitable alternative sites available in or around Sheffield city centre.

It says the proposed site, between the railway line and the B6082 Carlisle Street East, has ‘excellent’ public transport links, with the 18a and 137 bus routes connecting it to Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centre.

The building has been empty since the previous occupant left in summer 2022, it adds, and the site has been ‘actively marketed’ since then.

The application states that the proposed go-karting centre would include a small cafe, briefing and conference areas, changing rooms and spectator viewing areas, among other facilities.

It says that there would be an opportunity to engage with local schools, ‘promoting the activity as an extracurricular option that supports enhanced behaviour and improved concentration in educational settings (as proven by research)’.

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The BattleKart brochure states that since 2015, more than 500,000 participants, young and old, have taken part in the immersive go-karting experience at existing sites in Belgium, Germany, France and the UK. There are also sites in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Australia.

Sheffield Council’s planning portal states that the planning application was validated on Tuesday, November 26 and the standard date for public consultation to finish is Wednesday, December 18.

A decision is expected on or around January 21, 2025.