Young skaters to have their say on plans for new skate plaza at Antrim Forum

A young people’s group is to be given a key role in helping shape plans for a new skate park in Antrim.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has approved proposals for a new “granite-style skate plaza” with floodlighting at the Peace Play Park beside Antrim Forum.

Councillors backed the project during a meeting of the local authority’s Operations Committee last month.

A report presented behind closed doors said the project would “adopt the design and engagement approach used for the PEACE IV Skate 100 project at V36 Valley Park”.

The report indicated that a project steering group will be established, including representation from a “young person’s reference group” to support ongoing consultation with stakeholders during the design and implementation stages.

Committee minutes also noted that councillors requested consideration be given to inviting a local resident onto the steering group and exploring options for board hire provision at the facility.

According to the report, the proposed design would provide a “modern, high-quality skate plaza” offering the “highest capacity and participation potential”.

The inclusion of floodlighting is intended to “enable year-round and evening use”, while secure fencing would support site management and help address concerns surrounding out-of-hours access and anti-social behaviour.

The report added that although the preferred option represented the highest capital investment, it would deliver “the most comprehensive solution and the greatest long-term community benefit”.

Councillors agreed that the proposed urban skate park at Antrim Forum should now be included within the council’s capital programme.

The proposal was put forward by Ballyclare DUP Councillor Jeannie Archibald-Brown and seconded by fellow DUP representative, Dunsilly Alderman Linda Clarke.

The report also revealed that a recent inspection and audit at the Peace Play Park found the current equipment had reached the end of its operational life and that the facility was “no longer safe or fit for purpose”.

The new skate park project has been earmarked for Antrim through PEACEPLUS funding.

The scheme forms part of the fifth PEACEPLUS programme, valued at almost £400,000, under the theme “Our Active Borough”, which is due to be delivered by the council.

PEACEPLUS is a €1.1 billion cross-border funding programme designed to support peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland.

Overall, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has secured £4.4 million in PEACEPLUS funding to deliver programmes and projects locally until October 2028.

Previously, the initiative led to the development of Skate 100 at V36 beside Valley Leisure Centre in Newtownabbey, which opened in May 2022.

Developed at a cost of £750,000, the 14,000 sq ft facility is one of the largest skate parks in the UK and caters for skateboards, scooters, inline skates and BMX freestyle riders.

At the time of its opening, calls were made for a similar facility to be developed in Antrim.