The campaign for a local skateboarding park in Bray has been ongoing since 2015. Previous proposed locations have seen divisions both within the community and politically. Ultimately it is the skateboarders in Bray that have lost out.
In April 2021, I put forward a motion to establish a group to look at a skateboard park for our community. The motion sought inclusion of Bray Skateboarding Association and was open to all Councillors to be involved. Cllr. Erika Doyle and Cllr. Rory O’Connor opted to join the group with me, and work got underway.
There have been lots of discussions and considerations by this group who have worked really hard to look at the issue. This evening the proposed location was presented to the members for their comment. Some mixed views but generally there was positivity to move forward.
The location is on the Southern Cross near Shoreline and was chosen for a number of reasons.
- It is not directly beside residential homes.
- The land is owned by Wicklow County Council.
- The new supermarket and planned cycle lanes on the Southern Cross and in Deerpark make the location more accessible to travel too.
- Improvements planned for the Ballywaltrim area as a result of €250,000 Healthy Ireland Funding will support the upgrades to the area and better lighting and pathways to the location. Part of this funding will also be spent on the basketball courts beside the site.
- The site is located beside Shoreline, football pitches etc., creating an informal sports hub.
- It has the support of the Bray Skateboarding Association.
The next stage is to carry out pre planning consultation with the immediate community in the area, before hopefully moving to a Part 8 process which involves wider consultation with the whole community, the creation of a report on submissions and a vote to be taken by the Bray Municipal District Councillors.
We are not there yet but this is the closest we have got on a potential location in Bray, considering that other towns across the Country already have one if not 2 parks we are way behind but it’s a positive move forward.
If you have any views on this proposal at this early stage, please do get in touch. To my council colleagues and the members of Bray Skateboarding Association, thank you for your hard work and commitment.