There is a lot of interest in building a skateboard park in Dún laoghaire. Heres some information from the meeting that was held to discuss the proposal in County Hall. Why not lobby your local councillors and demand a skatepark now?

A meeting was held in March 2005  facilitated by Jason Sherwood from Fearless Ramps in the U.K. and was co-ordinated by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Sports Development Office

Timeline
It is expected that the process of providing a finished skatepark will take between 18 and 24+ months (from March 2005). The steps will include more rider consultation, location selection, park design, planning, tendering for construction, construction, etc.

Location
It was too early to decide a location for the skatepark. But the location should have good access to public transport, local shops and toilets.

Various locations were mentioned during some of the discussions, including Marly Park (Ballinteer), Shanganagh Park (Shankill), and other parks in the Dun Laoghaire and Blackrock areas.

Type of skatepark
Due to the litigious nature of Irish society, it is not possible for the council to get insurance for an open access skatepark at the moment.

The park will be fenced off and supervised. Some form of club will need to be setup and I believe access will be restricted to members. There will also be a (minimal) fee and rules about skating when the park is wet, wearing helmets, etc.

Design and construction
The majority of the riders who attended the meetings were skateboarders who have had no or limited access to good facilities. I think everybody would like to see a range of facilities suitable for all experience levels and riding styles.

There was overwhelming preference for the use of concrete as a construction material when we were asked. But it was pointed out that with good designed, constructed and maintenance wood and steel can provide a very good construction material.

Attendance
Over the 3 meetings I would have said about 90 people attended. The first meeting consisted mostly of secondary school aged skaters, DLR councilors and other adults. The second meeting had more secondary school aged skaters, adult skaters and DLR councilors. The third meeting had a number of younger skaters and there parents, college aged skaters and some adult skaters.

Other notes
The meeting was planned before the recent announcement of 1.5 million euro by the government. So there was already a commitment to look into spending some money, hopefully they can provide for a larger location or long term maintenance costs.

We just need to stay involved to show that it's a worth while cause for the councilors to invest time and public money in.

Page last updated 5 May 2005