Derbyshire council appeals for fundraising volunteers to help replace outdated skate park

A section of the Hall Leys Park skate area is set to be removed next week due to safety concerns over the condition of the 20-year-old wooden structures.

The entire skatepark will be closed off while work takes place and, with no definite date for reopening, Derbyshire Dales District Council hopes the situation will focus people’s minds on the longer-term future of the popular facility.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “We won't have any clear idea of timescales until the section we have identified – nearest to the tennis courts – is removed and we can see the state of the ground underneath. We will have to make this safe before the other two sections are reopened.

"As a council we have devoted hundreds of hours over the years maintaining the skate park, spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process. Currently we have no further funds to replace the section that has to be removed, but we are hopeful that with community support we will be able to apply for external funding.”

The skatepark was closed for repairs over several weeks last summer after the ramps suffered from repeated flooding in the park as well as wear-and-tear.

As a public body, the council has limited options to seek the necessary funds for a full-scale refurbishment or replacement, so instead it is hoping to support the formation of a new community group which could apply to external funding sources.

The council spokesperson said: “Local people interested in being part of the proposed skate park group – particularly current users – are encouraged to express an interest by emailing [email protected].”

A similar group of parents and residents has raised more than £30,000 to replace skate facilities at Fanny Shaw’s Park in Wirksworth which were dismantled in 2019.

They hope to begin construction in early 2023 on a new design which should be more accessible to all ages of skateboarders, rollerbladers and BMX and scooter riders.

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