Finally some positive movement!
Very surprised they will do this. Have discussed the potential for building skate spots in areas under flyovers, near road etc and the planners have always said ‘No…because air quality’.
Air-quality-wise, the motorway is the least of Glasgow’s problems.
Yeah that’s the same in most city centres, but we were asked to come up with potential locations for parks/skatespot development in Cardiff and I specifically suggested an underpass spot. ‘No way we’d ever get that through, you can’t have people exercising by a flyover the air quality would be too bad’.
It’s interesting because that shut down that line of discussion right away, but it seems it’s not such an issue?
That’s an odd one, maybe a local thing as Projekts in Manchester have been there for years - there was a planning restriction in that they had to install containers as opposed to building wooded sheds etc which is apparently a fire reg thing, not allowing construction of flammable buildings underneath road structures.
Further down same motorway underpass there’s 5 a side courts and a food pop up thing, also in containers so maybe less concern about air quality in Manchester?
Yeah he didn’t even stop to think he just said no way. When he said it I was like ‘Yeah that’s fucking obvious now you say it’ but obviously I know of loads of DIYs, 70s parks, and private skateparks in similar situations. Meanwhile2, M32 spot, Projekts all came to mind.
The only reason I’m surprised at this one is because it appears to be a council-led project and we were in the same boat here. We could build a DIY and you could probably open a private park under a flyover…but the council wouldn’t.
See also generations of skate facilities underneath the Westway in W London
Looking into it quickly it looks like the Welsh Government have given Cardiff Council £21m quid to implement a clean air strategy…so it’s probably that.
Is that same deal with the HWKR Food Market right under the Tyne Bridge too then? It’s all containers.
Yeah I think so - metal structures fine, wooden not so.
Likely info on here somewhere but not got time to go through
Just seen that Cardiff County Hall is going to be knocked down if anyone is interested. Classic spot that I never actually got around to skating. Shame.
Bute Square/Callaghan Square is going too. I am currently drafting a proposal for including skateable space in the redevelopment which is a joint Transport for Wales/Cardiff Council project. We went to meet the team working on it on Monday and they are up for doing something.
Luckily CSC already consulted with the council and we got Bute Square mentioned as culturally important in the Cardiff Council skateboard strategy. I hope all we have to do is show an oportunity for strategic alignment in this new development and we’ll get something sick.
@jimo is there an end date to bute? I should get out there before it goes now I’m relatively close
They have to do some ground samples and stuff very soon, which may mean parts of it get disturbed/fenced off. The actually project won’t kick off for months though.
This might have been shared already but looks decent, Japanese abandoned buildings explore & skate
This episode covers the first Connect festival, (which took place in Bordeaux in October 2024). Connect is a new international festival dedicated to skateboarding culture and its relationship to urban planning, including its cultural and artistic aspects.
Ted Barrow on European plazas…
