A £70 MILLION extreme sports centre – the first of its kind in Europe – is being lined up for land at Pride Park.

Rock-climbing is understood to be one of around 20 high-adrenalin sports which could be offered at The Cube, a centre with nearly five acres of floor space – the equivalent of about three football pitches.

A private company wants to invest £70 million in developing the site – creating 460 jobs – and has approached Derby City Council with its ideas but details about what other sports may be featured are still under wraps.

The term "extreme sports" can encompass activities including snow-boarding, indoor skydiving, motocross and BMX racing.

The plan has been welcomed by adventure sports groups and enthusiasts.

Jenny Joy-Matthews, who runs Aspire Adventure Activities in Matlock with husband Dave, said: "I think having a large centre in Derby would be good. I welcome anything that provides more activity opportunities.

"This could be particularly good for groups of young children, particularly during the holidays."

Council leader Philip Hickson, who will consider using some of the authority's cash to support a private firm to bring The Cube to Derby, said it would make Pride Park a powerful sports destination in the UK and Europe.

He said: "Combined with the council's multi-use sports arena which is being built at Pride Park and Derby Football Club's own plans for its plaza, this could make Derby a primary leisure destination.

"The Cube is not about traditional sports – this is extreme sports and it will take Derby out of the shadows and on to the stage."

The project is proposed for Network Rail land in Pride Park and would be near the £22 million multi-use sports arena being built by Derby City Council.

Mr Hickson said: "We are at very early stages and discussions but this will focus Pride Park as the leisure destination.

"Here we have a developer wanting to bring something completely new, exciting and innovative."

The interested investor's identity has not been released but is understood to be a company with a reputation for working with councils on sporting developments.

Paul Robinson, strategic director for neighbourhoods at the city council, said: "They have come to us to look to create a centre of excellence for sport and leisure and saw our investment in the sports arena as a lever for bringing more people to the area and quite a lot of work in to it.

"They know that so many of the population of Britain live within two hours' drive of Pride Park, so it is a very good site.

"It wouldn't have happened if we had not put the investment in the leisure strategy."

The city council's cabinet will consider using some of the authority's £10 million regeneration fund to support the scheme, which could be created in 2014.

The fund has £4.7 million to be allocated to projects agreed this financial year.

A further £3.5million is going to finance a loan to Lowbridge for the Friar Gate Square office development which has started in Agard Street. Another £950,000 will be phased throughout 2012-13 for developing projects.