Drylaw Skatepark about to become reality

Work will begin on the long-awaited skatepark in Drylaw this week.

The new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations, to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park in North Edinburgh. The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland

The inspiration for this project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.  The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The skatepark will have tips, rails, ledges, flat banks, and a half pipe for use by skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX bikers.

The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community.   The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT in 2015 and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.

Half of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enabled communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.

Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund”.

“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use”.

“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.

The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.

City of Edinburgh Council Transport Convener and chair of the skatepark working group, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said “I am pleased the Drylaw Skate Park work has started.  It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened”

Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel. Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said “we are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage.  We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”

The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.