Local skate park campaign underway

A CAMPAIGN is underway to have a skate park built in Balbriggan.

The sports and recreation sub-committee of Balbriggan Community Council have been pushing hard for the facility in recent months.

Siobhan Geraghty, a member of the committee, said recent meetings with Fingal County Council have been extremely positive.

“We are currently aligning with other groups in the town with a view to making the skate park multi-functional,

? said Ms Geraghty.

“This will make the skate park open to a wider audience and will provide a much-needed facility for a large youth cohort of our town.

?

Ms Geraghty said the group was delighted to have received the support of local councillor Tony Murphy (Ind).

“We are determined to get this through,

? she added.

Cllr Murphy, who represents the Balbriggan Local Electoral Area (LEA), attended a recent meeting where the issue was discussed among all interested parties.

He pointed out that Balbriggan is one of the fastest growing towns in the country, with a population now in excess of 22,000.

“There is currently a dearth of recreational facilities for young people in Balbriggan, and this is an ongoing issue that urgently needs to be addressed,

? said Cllr Murphy.

“I am calling on Fingal County Council to work closely with the sports and recreation sub-committee to ascertain what funds could be made available to make this proposal a reality.

“It’s been well-documented that money invested in community facilities pays off in the long term.

?

Cllr Murphy added:

“I would urge the council to look at this proposal favourably.

”

A spokeswoman for Fingal County Council confirmed that the group met with its officials and local public representatives last month.

“The Balbriggan Skate Park Group gave an enthusiastic insight into the needs of the young people of Balbriggan and in particular the benefits that a new skate park facility would bring to the town,

? she told Northside People.

“A number of issues were discussed during the meeting, in particular, a proposed site and the funding options available.

“No decisions were made on a proposed site or how the project would be funded.

“However, Fingal County Council was very positive to the proposal and looks forward to dealing with this voluntary group.

?

The spokeswoman said the group also agreed to make contact with other similar user groups in an effort to accommodate the needs of a cross section of potential users in any final design.

“It should be noted that we are at the very early stages of discussion and any proposed skate park project will be subject to the normal planning requirements for a development of this nature,

? she added.

Meanwhile, Adam, a young skateboard enthusiast who lives in Balbriggan, said it would be fantastic to have a skate park facility in the town.

“I’ve been skating since I was nine, and I’m now 17,

? he said.

“Skateboarding is very popular. If we had a skate park in Balbriggan, we would finally have a safe place to carry out our sport.

?