They done a great job but don’t expect it to be dry in the late autumn, winters and early spring. That area gets no sun then and is right next to a river, so prone to constant damp. That granite won’t dry well at all during those times so be prepared to turn up and be disappointed, especially if it’s rained in the morning.
I told them this on the planning comments (as I lived on the hill that blocks the sun) and also said the needed to move the plaza away from the river . It never happened.
Scooters don’t even venture on the plaza. Only bmx crew. The plaza is too boring for scoot kids . Also the parents are sceptical of letting their kids near a load of skaters in their 20’s with a constant and blatant amount of weed smoking in the plaza .
It’s great.
It is - its got everything - mini ramp section, milton keynes bus station plaza type area, 70s pump track and snake run, big fly off section, micro bowled mini and street area, good coffee shop/snack bar… well worth a visit
I wish they made more skateparks over here with roofs or undercover bits. With so much rain in the UK it makes so many places unskateable most of the year. I guess most local councils are scared of the homeless/drug addicts etc using them as somewhere to sleep/shoot up or something?
This one in Norway looks amazing, it has a little undercover section and everything.
Wonder how much a cover for your average British skatepark would cost? Can’t be that much surely? Most parks get decent funding these days, could always set a little aside for an undercover bit.
Huh. Probably because of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, amongst other things. The UK had the opportunity to do similar, but nope. Because y’know, shareholders.
Some guys here built a DIY spot in a schoolyard. From what I understand it was all made by an association with the help of the local council and social workers. According to the council, the place doesn’t get ruined as it’s made by local kids (plus hey, this is Switzerland).
I haven’t skated there but I look forward to.
It started with a bowl thing under a roof and they keep adding new bits. Looks fun to skate and I love how the council backs it.
We’ve been asked by the local council to “draft a specification” for the skatepark and pumptrack. According the landscape architect leading the project, “any info on what it should contain, its heights, finishes etc. It can be high level and hopefully the contractors can fill in the blanks”. Sounds like a shopping list - if so, we’ll throw in some images too.
Hmm, seems a bit odd. I mean I’ve done that recently but it was in collaboration with Maverick who developed on our ideas because they know what they’re doing. I wouldn’t have been keen trying to guide some random councillors and architects on what they should build for us. Where is the park company in the process? Sounds like they want an idea of what the locals want so they can put it to tenure, but then I don’t get why they’d need you to be so specific.
Well it started off with me taking it on to get people to understand what a skatepark can be, how it should look, etc. Council are very receptive as they don’t have the expertise here. There’s now 3 of us involved in steering it - it’s a 5000 sq m project to include bouldering walls, calisthenic gym with approx 3600 sq m for the skatepark and pumptrack, which is large - the overall site is around the size of a football pitch and should include landscaping, trees, plants, benches, bike racks, bins and apparently floodlighting.
The skatepark companies aren’t involved just yet, but I’ve been in touch with a few whom I’d want to see take it on - ultiimately, I don’t know the budget, nor am I the guy to decide who gets the contract. The whole thing will go to tender in a couple of weeks.
I had a suspicion when I wrote tenure that I’d gotten the wrong word.
Sounds like the council need informing of how these projects should go in regards to being led by park companies, and maybe you should be asking what they’re planning to do with this information they’re asking of you? If it’s going to tender as one project then you could be in trouble ending up with some playground company building it.
If I was in your position I’d give them a brief on the type of skatepark you’d like to see and some ideas, and then ask them if they’re going to use that info as a starting point for park companies to make a bid for tender. If that’s the case (which it sounds like it is) then I’d explain that park design is an intricate process between a professional company and the local users, and get them to agree that you and your steering group will work with whoever wins the bid to get the park you want.
If it sounds like some cowboys are gonna build the whole thing then you need to try and stop that in its tracks asap. Dunno you probably know all this, maybe I’ve misunderstood what you’re asking exactly
Appreciate the response, I’m way ahead of you with telling the council what companies are legit and what are cowboys! I’ve pretty much already told them exactly what you’ve outlined here. So far so good I think.
