Greens MLC Tammy Franks has motioned for the State Government to commit to funding for a new city skate park as the impending close of the existing space draws closer.

The lease of the current site on North Tce will expire next month and with it, the only designated city space for skaters. The site will soon come under the expansion of the Riverbank Development and new medical facilities.

Franks says the State Government should have acted sooner on an issue which has been known for some time.

“It beggars belief that there aren’t at least some rough plans or consultation going on when one considers the length of time for which the Government has known about the park’s impending closure,” she tells Rip It Up. “This was an election issue…something that has been years in the making and here we are a couple weeks before the lease is terminated and we have nothing from the Government.”

Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood says the Adelaide City Council supports the call for a new skate park and has consulted with skaters on plans for a new site.

“Council sees a city-based skatepark as an important element in the range of activities offered in the city with an emphasis on youth and young people,” he said.

“During the extensive consultation undertaken by Council over the past few months, there was overwhelming support for a North Terrace location, specifically adjacent to the existing site.

“Other sites within close proximity are also being investigated. The most common reason for suggesting these locations was access to good public transport, safety and visibility and proximity to shops and existing facilities.”

Based on research into similar facilities interstate, the Lord Mayor says a new site will cost around $3 million.  

Franks says it is now up to the State Government to come to the table.

“During the election we kept seeing on Twitter #jaygetsit, #vibrant, #adelaide, but where’s the skate park in that talk? The premier talks up youth and having a vibrant city and yet the planning for the Riverbank Development is not including the youth.”

Planning Minister John Rau says the State Government has “not made any decision regarding a new skate park”.

“The City Council may well be of assistance, indeed I have observed that the recent Victoria Square works by the Council appear to have precipitated enormous patronage by skaters.”

But Franks says the shared use of space between skaters and other members of the community could lead to problems.

“If you don’t have a skate park then the whole city becomes a skate park,” she said. “That opens the door for potential conflict between young people, skaters and other people who use those spaces who might feel they shouldn’t be there.

“I have no problem with people skating in Victoria Square, but there are already some tensions there. Community, safety, and the culture that you can create in a designated space will not be replicated in alternative spaces.”

Image: Andre Castellucci