Thanet council Cabinet members have agreed to move forward with plans for a skatepark in Cliftonville.
The park will be at the former crazy golf site in Ethelbert Crescent and will be run by a CIC created by Dan Cates and Nic Powley of Margate Skateboard Club.
It is one of the projects being carried out as part of the £22 million Margate Town Deal.
The skatepark proposal received support from Margate and Cliftonville communities and the National Skateboarding fraternity. A petition supporting the plans gained more than 3000 signatures.
It is one of the projects which aims to deal with some of the health inequalities in the area by promoting fitness and wellbeing, social engagement, local tourism, and also creating employment.
Margate Skateboard Club, headed by Nic Powley and Dane Cates who have previously provided advice and guidance to organisations like Skateboard GB, will hold a 20 year lease on the site.
The bid put in for the new skatepark was for £1million. The Town Deal granted £750,000 but there is also £100,000 match funding from artist Tracey Emin and £59,000 from the council’s capital programme which was previously earmarked for a Margate skatepark.
At a meeting last night (February 22) council leader Ash Ashbee thanked artist Tracey Emin for her £100,000 donation towards the project, saying: “I’d like to thank Tracey Emin for her contribution to this because without that I don’t think this would have happened.”
She added that she was looking forward to the first world champion coming out of Cliftonville skatepark.
Margate Skateboard Club will also undertake fundraising for construction, community engagement, running events and activities on the site and supporting a programme to encourage people of all ages into skateboarding to improve wellbeing.
Thanet council owns the former putting site.
The Margate Skateboard Club plans include a toilet and a kiosk with the kiosk having a hub for staff of the CIC to support community engagement activities and deliver health and wellbeing programmes.
Income from the kiosk will be used to maintain the toilets and the Skatepark, covering running and maintenance costs.
