Council seeking £0.5m support for Newtownabbey skate park

Speaking at a meeting of Antrim and Newtownabbey’s Community Planning Committee, last week, the council’s director of Community Planning, Nick Harkness, told councillors the local authority is continuing to work with the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) over European funding.

He indicated that unused money in each programme can be re-diverted to fund a number of projects.

In the case of the proposed V36 skate park earmarked for a site beside the Valley Leisure Centre, in Newtownabbey, he suggested it could be funded 100 per cent through SEUPB.

The officer was responding to a query by Alliance Councillor Billy Webb who asked if the funding is still available as he believed it was “time bound”.

Meanwhile, tendering for construction of the V36 skate park is to go ahead despite the project being deferred.

The skate park, which has been hailed as “the biggest in Ireland” was deferred by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council in April due to the cost which is undisclosed but is thought to be in the region of £0.5m.

It is anticipated the new sports facility would be able to “offer a first class experience for amateurs and professionals”.

It is one of a number of projects on the local authority’s capital programme which was deferred due to concerns over a potential loss of income caused by the Covid pandemic.

The only capital scheme to be progressed by the borough council this financial year is a new £5m crematorium.

A formal application to utilise any additional funding has been forwarded to SEUPB.

The skate park is said to be the only council project at a “sufficiently advanced stage” to utilise any available funding from SEUPB.

The SEUPB had initially agreed to fund the project with an additional sum provided by the council.

Initially, funding of £195,882 for the project has been secured from the Peace IV programme via the SEUPB with £300,000 of “match funding” to be provided by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

The council’s Planning Committee voted unanimously in favour of the project last year. It was identified through consultation as “something unique to the area which could deliver significant benefits particularly for young people”. Read previous skate park story here

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

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