Tadley skatepark to get £150,000 replacement
Skateboarders and BMX riders are celebrating after plans to replace the existing skatepark in Tadley Common with a new £150,000 facility were confirmed.
Tadley Town Council has accepted a quote from Canvas Spaces – the company behind a new skatepark in the War Memorial Park in Basingstoke – to build the skatepark at a cost of £149,525.
Of this, £20,000 will come from the council’s reserves and £30,000 from a public works loan, while the remaining £100,000 will be raised through grants and donations.
The town’s precept – the amount of council tax residents pay which goes to the town council – will not need to be increased, meaning it will stay at £45.30 per year for Band D properties.
The decision to replace the existing skatepark came after the borough council reported that the current one, made of wood, was coming to the end of its life and would need to be replaced.
Town councillor Jo Slimin said: “It’s an exciting project which we can get our teeth in to this year – it’ll be quite a big project this year and I hope all the community will get involved.
“The current skatepark has been there a number of years, and was built by grants we got in response to a couple of Tadley teenagers that were killed in a car accident.
“The families set up a project to rebuild the existing skateboard park that was already there and improve it, and they won a competition for money towards it, so it was revamped in memory of the young people who used it.
“We have regular inspections by BDBC [Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council] and they’ve now indicated that it’s at the end of its life.
“It’s made of wood and these things don’t last forever. It’s a shame as it’s well used.”
The new skatepark will be circular and will be made of concrete, and it is hoped it will last for at least 25 years.
Discussions are also under way to name it after the jubilee in recognition of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee later this year, when the nation will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II ascending to the throne.
The Jubilee Centre – built for the 1977 Jubilee – used to be located on the common, before it was demolished due to frequent vandalism.
The existing skatepark was the training ground for BMX champion Mike Miller, and Mrs Slimin added that she hoped the new facility would keep the youth in Tadley entertained for many years to come.
She added: “With the Olympics, skateboarding and BMXing has been very popular – maybe we can get some future Olympic champions, who knows?”
- This article has been amended after Jo Slimin was misquoted. We apologise for the error.
