Planned new Horsham skate park could be ready this summer

Scooter riders and in-line skaters will also be able to show off their skills when the new concrete facility replaces the old wooden one in Horsham Park.

The district council received bids for the work from three contractors and approved the top scorer during a meeting of the cabinet on Thursday (January 27).

Roger Noel, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: “The aims of the new skate park include creating a sense of place which encourages people of all ages to use and be comfortable in the space and therefore reducing the opportunities of the anti-social behaviour that we have experienced recently.”

Calling the skate park a ‘vital leisure facility within our incredibly beautiful jewel of Horsham Park’, he added: “It will play an important role in supporting our young people’s physical and mental health and their wellbeing for many years into the future.”

The council will now work closely with the skate park user group and the contractor to refine the design – making sure it is effective – before it is put forward for planning permission.

Mr Noel said the actual build would take around eight weeks, with the skate park expected to open in late summer or early autumn at the latest.

When asked about previous incidents of anti-social behaviour and drug use at the site, Mr Noel assured the meeting that floodlights and CCTV surveillance would be put in place.

He said the design would remove ‘all the little corners that the old wooden structure had where drug users could hide’.

He added: “I feel the actual plan is far more open and not conducive to any anti-social behaviour.

“We feel the benefits of the mental health and welfare of the users will far outweigh the odd act of anti-social behaviour.

“But we are very much hoping the anti-social behaviour that has been shown in the past will now be eliminated.”

Details about the skatepark’s design have not yet been published.