Town to finally get skatepark after 26-year battle

Skaters are hoping they will soon be able to test their tricks at a new skatepark, having waited more than 20 years for it to be built.

Plans for the facility first emerged at the start of the millennium in Sprowston but came to a grinding halt after each attempt faced backlash from neighbours.

But this is about to change as skaters could soon get to ride at a site off Blue Boar Lane by spring next year.

Michael, 41, a skateboarder in his youth, is looking forward to joining his 12-year-old son Ollie on the ramps.

"It's exciting and it will be just a stone's throw from my house, which is every skateboarder's dream," he said.

Ollie, a keen scooter rider, added: "I'm really happy. It looks like it will be very diverse for lots of different types of riders. At the moment I have to travel to get to a park – it will be a game changer."

Jaime Anderson, 37, from neighbouring Old Catton, has been skating since he was 11 and he remembers the backlash to previous projects.

He hoped negative perceptions about the sport that stalled previous projects were changing.

"There is a little bit of stigma attached to skateboarding and people looked at it as antisocial.

"It really isn't the case. It's an Olympic sport now and you've got really positive role models in people like Sky Brown.

"You get a good sense of community at a skatepark, everyone is looking out for each other. It is a positive outlet."

Sprowston's skatepark is being developed with Betongpark, a company that designs facilities across the UK, and the firm has already worked on other projects in the Norwich area, such as Eaton Park.

Stuart Maclure, development manager, said: "We're blessed with a really big site so we can be quite creative with it."

The team is currently working with locals to finalise the designs. Maclure added that the response so far had been positive.

The town council said it would be a space for everyone.

Bill Couzens, chairman of the council, said: "We intend this to be a really, really good skatepark that will be long-lasting and well used by people of all abilities.

"One of the specifications is that we don't want one just for experts and we don't want one just for beginners. We want one that everybody can use, from young children to adults."

While previous skatepark proposals struggled to move forward, the new site gained planning permission as part of an application for homes next door known as White House Farm, which forms part of the Manor Park estate.

A play area and football pitch are also planned, but progress has been slow.

Martin Booth, a Broadland district councillor for the area, said he had been frustrated by the pace of development.

"A lot of people were told when they bought their houses six or seven years ago that there would be play areas, but they didn't materialise until last year," he said.

"So they're not that happy because many of their children are now too old to use them.

"But this is not just a Sprowston problem."

He said developers across the country can often be slow to complete projects such as play areas, which they agree to fund in order to gain planning permission for housing developments.

A spokesperson for the consortium of developers behind White House Farm said the delay to the play park was caused by extreme wet weather at the start of the year.

Additional drainage has had to be installed to ensure the facility can be used in the long term.

"We understand the frustrations... and are grateful for the community's patience," added the spokesperson.

"The ongoing poor weather throughout the spring meant that all works had to be postponed until the ground was fully dried out.

"Final works are due to be completed next week, and we anticipate the park being open shortly."

The developer said it has contributed £350,000 towards the facilities.

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