The first diggers have arrived on site to start work on the new smaller Falmouth skatepark project which had to be downsized after costs became too prohibitive.
The area earmarked for the Falmouth Skatepark at Dracaena Playing Fields has been cordoned off with work starting this week.
Plans for a skatepark for Falmouth had to be scaled down because of a significant rise in costs.
When plans for the project were originally revealed it was larger but since then prices have gone up significantly.
The Falmouth Skatepark Project team had to make the tough decision to reduce the size of the park from the original plans which were made before the cost of living crisis fully kicked in.
This was despite having the same budget target that was met last year.
The new design incorporates a mixture of challenging and beginner spaces and has been designed in a way that the park can be added to in the future.
The team said ultimately it had two choices, keep fund raising but not being able to keep up with the increases in cost, or make the decision to build now, and get a skatepark, which is what it had done.
They said they felt that having a park now was more important than chasing their tail for several more years trying to get the perfect original space.
The new design has been agreed over several weeks, in consultation with the skatepark committee, who fought hard for each of the specific elements to be the best they can be.
The group has continued to fundraise and as a consequence has been able to add a 1.75 meter wide and 47 meter long flat area all along the side towards the tree line, to enable small children with scooters and beginner levels of skaters and roller blades to enjoy the park too – this is not shown on this agreed design from November 23.
One of the major driving forces behind the project has been Falmouth Mayor Kirstie Edwards.
She told the Packet: “I cannot describe how challenging this process has been- every time we met a target, the goalpost changed- massively increased costs in groundwork, then drainage meant our budget took a significant hit.
“I must applaud the committee for their resilience and relentless pursuit of the best outcomes for local people. Maverick, the builders of the park, have been generous with their time, adaptable to our needs and I’m very grateful for their support and assistance. I cannot believe we’ve done it!
“Yesterday the first diggers arrived on site and you’ll see significant activity on site over the next few weeks. It’s a dream come true and I’m incredibly proud that I’ve driven this project to the point where we are having the park build right now.
“This has been so much work- hundreds of hours behind the scenes to raise funds, fill in applications, advocate for the project etc, this has been one of the hardest projects I’ve ever worked on, so to have it finally come to fruition is deeply satisfying. I’m very proud.”
The “end game” is in sight for the construction of Falmouth's purpose built skate park with work set to start at the beginning of next year.
The original £500k cost of the project on Dracaena Playing Field has been downscaled to a £400k version because of rising costs.
READ NEXT:
Krispy Kreme is opening its first stores in Cornwall - and people love it!
The partnership in charge of building the park received £145k from the National Lottery.
£130k of that will go towards the build and £10k for a skate jam event scheduled to take place in July, plus £5k for impact monitoring reports.
The skate jam is planned for July 24, 2024 and is likely to be a one day family event with skate demos, training, live music etc.
The project started In February 2010 when a Falmouth School boy’s campaign to create a skatepark to rival the best in the country started to gather momentum.
Mikey Cartlidge and his best friend Zyam King won the support of more than 2,000 skateboard fans through his Facebook page and then took his campaign to Falmouth Town Council to begin negotiations for a new and improved skatepark.
Permission for the park was granted in 2019.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel