MEA Council looking for potential skate park site in Larne

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has said that it is looking for a “potentially suitable location” for a new skate park in Larne.

This confirmation comes on the heels of the official opening of a skate park at The People’s park in Ballymena last week.

It was stated at a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting that the council has commenced looking at “potentially suitable locations in Larne for a skate park”.

The new skate park in Ballymena is designed to cater for wheeled sport such as skateboard, BMX, scooter and inline along with disabled access requirements.

It has three distinct areas – a ‘street section’ with low level equipment re-creating urban architecture, where riders can practise technical tricks; a faster paced ‘ramp section’ with a jump box and a mini section featuring “bowl elements”.

A pump track is a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders "pumping"—generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedaling or pushing.

Councillors have also advised of proposals for a “pump” track as part of regeneration plans for Carnfunnock Country Park outside Larne.

This is a play park track for wheeled sports equipment that does not require pedalling or pushing by users.

The council acknowledges that since Carnfunnock Country Park opened in July 1990 it has “remained largely unchanged since then” and "recognises there is more work that can be done to build on visitors’ experience at Carnfunnock”.

The local authority is currently applying for external funding to “realise the concepts within the draft masterplan for Carnfunnock” and has carried out a consultation to get the public’s views on how best to proceed.

Councillors were given an update on Levelling Up bids for Carnfunnock Country Park and the St Patrick’s Barracks site in Ballymena behind closed doors at the September meeting of the borough council.

They agreed to note the submission of Levelling Up Fund bids for co-funding to progress the St Patrick’s Barracks public realm in Ballymena and Carnfunnock Country Park regeneration projects and to increase the Levelling Up contribution for the St Patrick’s Barracks project.

Ballymena TUV Councillor Matthew Armstrong, Carrickfergus Castle Ulster Unionist Cllr Robin Stewart and Larne Lough Ulster Unionist Keith Turner indicated that they were opposed to the decision.