Money sought to replace ageing skatepark at Sherwood Avenue, Newark

Money is to be sought to replace the skatepark at Sherwood Avenue in Newark.

Members of the town council’s finance and general purposes committee voted to seek grant-funding support from the district council to replace the ageing park.

It will itself set aside £10,000 for the replacement facility, which is very popular with skaters, BMX and scooter riders.

The skatepark and its ramps are reportedly very close to the end of their serviceable life.

The park forms part of a wider area popular with families where there is play equipment, gardens and a basketball court.

In decades gone by, it was the site of the town’s former lido swimming pool and the basketball court stands within the lido’s original walls.

The matter has been discussed informally with an officer of the district council as such co-operations were envisaged when the town council took ownership of some parks and open spaces from the district under a devolution deal.

It is estimated the total cost of replacement could be as much as £100,000, so will require external funding. The £10,000 allocated by the town council would serve as match-funding in the process.

The wider quality of the park and play equipment at Sherwood Avenue will also be looked at, as some of that equipment has seen better days and some apparatus has had to be removed for safety reasons.

In his report to committee, Town Clerk Matthew Gleadell said the site in general would benefit from some fresh investment.

Committee member Jane Olson underlined the importance of the park to the community in saying that it was her children’s favourite to this day, and they had spent a great deal of time there as a family.

“It does get an awful lot of use,” she said.

Fellow councillor Esther Cropper said it showed the importance of looking after and protecting its parks.

Johno Lee said he was fully supportive of the proposal but urged the council to not just focus on facilities in the town centre that could be a mile away from Middlebeck or parts of the Bridge or Devon wards.