A new multi-million pound outdoor activity and adventure centre for young people is to be built at Runways End in Rushmoor, Hampshire, after the scheme was awarded government funding.

Hampshire County Council (HCC), Rushmoor Borough Council (RBC) and the Blackwater Valley Scout Association have received £6.1m through the Department of Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF) Co-location Fund. The new centre, which is expected to open in summer 2011, will include an 8-acre (3.2-hectare) woodland and space adjacent to the Basingstoke Canal, a climbing and abseiling tower, high and low ropes courses, a caving system and an indoor multi-activity hall.

Plans also include an indoor bouldering facility for climbing, a canoe store, a BMX track, accommodation for up to 50 people and an amenities block for a large camping zone, as well as a campfire amphitheatre. Yinnon Ezra, HCC's director of culture, communities and rural affairs, said: "The centre will help ensure that the qualify of life and life chances of children, young people and their families are significantly improved by encouraging them to be more aspirational, celebrate their achievements and build their self-esteem.

Diane Bedford, RBC cabinet member for leisure and youth, added: "The centre will provide a wide range of challenging outdoor activities, exciting indoor adventure sports, a rich variety of environmental education and a joined-up approach with a variety of partners to help tackle the wide range of social issues affecting young people."