Building work set to start on Kibworth skate park after £260k funding is agreed

The planned concrete skate park will sit on the site of the old skatepark

"This is something that is accessible for everybody, gets people outdoors and stops you having to drive anywhere to access something you love doing”

More than a quarter of a million pounds has been pledged to allow the building of a new skate park which has been objected to by some villagers.

An investment of £260,211 has been secured by Kibworth Beauchamp Parish Council to build a state of the art, concrete skate park on Warwick Road Recreation Ground.

The new facility is being solely funded by grant money which has come from developers who are building large housing schemes in the area and are legally required to pledge money towards community projects. Officials from Harborough District Council decided at a meeting last month to offer the parish council the requested amount in full, from funds provided by six property developments.

According to the district council, the new skatepark is being built under ‘permitted development’, which means that planning permission will not be required to start the project. The new facility is due to be built on land owned by the parish council that previously housed a wooden skate park which was removed due to its poor condition.

John Owst, 39, Parish Councillor for Kibworth and main co-ordinator of the project, said in September that the project will only bring good to the village and measures will be implemented to ensure the park stays in good condition. He said: “It’s hard living in a village as a young person.

"This is something that is accessible for everybody, gets people outdoors and stops you having to drive anywhere to access something you love doing. We will be putting in measures to ensure the park is kept in good condition.

"We are looking at inviting graffiti from pupils from the local schools and that will ensure it becomes a place that is looked after by the kids. We want to have a core group of the older kids and some parents who will take responsibility for the park, sweeping it up, keeping it clean.”

It is believed that the development of the facility will begin in the coming months. According to the project coordinators, it is hoped that the new skatepark will be open for action in spring later this year.