Plans submitted to remove and replace skate park

Plans to remove and rebuild a West Sussex skate park have been submitted.

The application seeks permission to remove the steel half-pipe structure currently in Downview Recreation Ground, East Wittering, and build an improved skate park further up the field.

A design statement submitted with the application said the half-pipe was "no longer fit for purpose" and could only be used by one person at a time.

The proposed new skate park went through five designs and a string of consultations.

It was finalised in September 2023, 15 months after the idea was first raised.

More than £62,000 was pledged by businesses and individuals via various fundraisers, including an auction, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The design statement said the proposed site would provide:

• A safe environment for skateboards, BMX, wheelchairs, scooters and other wheeled sports users
• A positive, diversionary activity for young people
• A picturesque design and construction, sympathetic to the surrounding landscape
• An area that offers interest for spectators and passers-by

The statement said: “Consultation has found that the young people in the area have no dedicated facility of a suitable nature to allow them to use their skateboards, wheelchairs, scooters, skates or BMX bikes safely and appropriately.”

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