THE VISION of a new skate park for Tavistock is due to be unveiled this month after a long community consultation.

Tavistock Town Council will choose the preferred tender next week for a contractor to build a complete replacement and expanded skatepark (or multi-use wheeled sports park).

The idea is to provide a safer, more inclusive, family-friendly and socially connected space.

The existing metal skatepark in Benson Meadow, owned and managed by the council, is 20 years old and showing its age with ramps and joins disintegrating and rusting and the tarmac base is crumbling. The park railings are also too close to the ramps which can be dangerous when users exit them.

The use of metal causes ‘unnecessary’ noise which has previously led to complaints by nearby residents. The new design would need to take into account noise suppression.

Most problems have been addressed by the council, but are temporary and a new park is needed to meet modern standards and satisfy safety rules and users’ expectations, with users travelling to modern parks elsewhere.

Users are unhappy with the current skatepark, due to a lack of creativity in the features, flow, and line and little provision for beginners. There are better parks like the concrete bowl/flow setups in Plymouth, Newquay, and Hatherleigh.

The skatepark does have some history of anti-social behaviour and vandalism by non-users, centred on a dilapidated youth shelter and bench this has been the centre of many of the issues and much of the vandalism.

Fred Harper, a park user and member of TaviSkate (part of Tavistock Youth Cafe) which has been consulting on the need for a new park. He said: The current skatepark with its existing metal ramps are reaching the end of their serviceable life having been there for nearly 20 years.

“They've become outdated and a combination of rust and a deteriorating surface are making it increasingly unsafe. By replacing the current facility with a modern concrete skatepark we're hoping to create a welcoming space that will encourage a new generation and be a draw to Tavistock.

“Concrete also provides the added benefits of being much quieter as well as being cheaper and easier to maintain. The removal of the green shelter as well as the iron railings will also enable us to make better use of the space and to truly rejuvenate that area of the Meadows.

“We want Tavistock skatepark to truly stand out with an innovative and fun design that will attract families and users from across the region for many years to come.”

The design will appeal to skateboarding, scooters, and BMX and be different from other towns’ parks.

Despite the park's conditions, a big increase in users has been recorded recently with more young riders of scooters and BMXers.

A survey proved community-wide support, leading to the re-development’s inclusion in the key policies of the town’s influential neighbourhood development plan. Funding of £92,000 comes from housing developers, the town council and Tavi Skate.