Skating group brought in to find replacement park
Gateshead CouncilA regional skateboarding group has been brought in to help find a replacement for a town's only covered skatepark.
Gateshead Council closed the Five Bridges in August, due to safety concerns concrete could come loose from the flyover above it.
It has now appointed Shred the North to carry out a study of possible replacement sites and review existing facilities across the borough.
Dave Apomah, head of the group, said Five Bridges was an important skatepark, "not just locally, but nationally and internationally".
"It wasn't simply a skatepark; it was a unique, weather-protected space that supported a thriving, multi-disciplined community all year round," he said.
"This study gives us the opportunity to properly understand what is needed now, where it should be located, what type of facility will best serve the community, and how it can be delivered in a realistic and sustainable way."
Gateshead CouncilThe announcement of Shred the North's appointment comes days after staff at Newcastle's Native Skate Store called on the council to make good on its promise to find a new park.
"Bridges was somewhere you were under cover, protected from the elements," shop worker Jackie Young told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"It was somewhere to exercise and also to socialise, to be part of the community."
He added there would have been hundreds of people using the skatepark in the last few months and its closure had affected Native's business because the number of people skating had "fallen off a cliff".
Gateshead Council said it had appointed the group after securing money for an options study to review the area's skateparks and identify funding routes to support its plans.
Councillor Angela Douglas said the skater community played a big role in the identity of the borough and Five Bridges had been a "go-to spot".
"We know its loss has been felt, but we're excited to be working with Shred the North to move this project forward," she said.
