A town community is set to benefit from a £100,000 cash injection after it was revealed a new skate park and children’s play area will be unveiled in April.
The play equipment is due to be set up at Monkmoor Recreation Ground and has been welcomed by local councillors and the community at a time when budgets and services are being cut.
The existing skate park, which used to attract skateboarders from as far afield as America, closed in 2009 due to health and safety reasons.
But Shropshire Council has announced that the skate park will be reopened in April with new ramps built with a special smooth, fast and durable Skatelite surface which is used by the top skaters and BMX riders. An entry charge is also being considered to cover maintenance.
And in a double boost, the neighbouring Monkmoor play area will undergo a £60,000 revamp with funding from Playbuilder and Every Child a Talker. Work is due to start in the next two weeks and will be finished in time for Easter.
New play equipment will be installed for the over eights including a basket swing, aerial runway and high climbing poles. There will also be an aeroskate that challenges children’s wheeled sports skills ready to test them on the new skate park.
Councillor Miles Kenny, Shropshire councillor for Underdale, told the Chronicle the investment was a boost to the community and couldn’t have come soon enough.
“The skateboard park has been in a terrible state of repair for almost three years, but now it will be reopened and built to last forever,” he said. “It’s really good news at this time of gloom and doom and particularly when councils are making cuts. The council has consulted with young people to see what they would like to see down at the recreation ground and I’m looking forward to using the Playbuilder scheme myself.
“These projects will help reduce anti-social behaviour and encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles.”
Cllr Kenny added that talks are ongoing to see whether the current CCTV system, which surveys the recreation ground, could be upgraded to keep watch 24-hours a day.
Alex Williams, manager of Monkmoor Recreation Centre, said future ideas include outdoor crazy golf, table tennis and boules.
He added: “We would expect work to begin on the skate park very soon and we anticipate work to be complete by the end of April. We have £40,000 in the capital pot along with section 106 money from the town council for this and other projects related to the area.
“All ramps will be a new build with a Skatelite surface. It is as yet undecided if a charge will be put in place.”
Carolyn Healy, parks and countryside sites manager at Shropshire Council, said: “Monkmoor play area is being revamped using £60,000 funding from Playbuilder and Every Child a Talker. Work is due to start in the next two weeks and be finished in time for Easter.”
by Charlotte Hester