Skateboarders 'let down' by council over park move

The number of skateboarders has "dropped off a cliff" after a park was forced to shut over safety concerns.

The Five Bridges skatepark, beneath the condemned A167 Gateshead Highway flyover, has been closed since August due to the risks of falling concrete.

Skater Jackie Young said numbers enjoying the sport had dwindled and enthusiasts felt let down by the authority for failing to find another sheltered venue.

The local authority said it was a "challenging environment" to find another site and it would take time to "identify funding".

"The amount of people skating has dropped off a cliff since the bad weather has hit, and that is purely down to a lack of facilities," Young said.

He also said that because it was an Olympic sport he had hoped that the council would be "more interested in supporting it".

Head of the skateboarding community interest company Shred The North, Dave Apomah, also said he was disappointed by the council's response to the issue.

He said the firm had spoken to the local authority multiple times in early 2025 after it became clear that the skatepark would be lost due to plans to demolish the flyover.

"We did talk about possible locations but that conversation went real quiet - we reached out to them several times since and they haven't replied," he said.

Apomah said Five Bridges was important to skaters because it was free, spacious and protected from the elements.

He also said the council's other skateparks were not covered and skaters were "lucky" if they got four months use of them a year because of the weather.

Apomah said the nearest covered skatepark was in Darlington, about a 40-minute drive and it was not free.

"The type of skatepark that Five Bridges was - there is no comparison for that in terms of the layout, the features, the size and the accessibility," he said.

Gateshead Council said it had spoken to Shred the North several times but that it was a "challenging environment" to find a location that delivered what the firm was seeking "especially shelter from the weather".

It said that if a replacement skatepark was going to be found close to the town centre, there would be multiple factors to consider such as cost and safety.

"It's going to take some time," a spokesperson said.

The council also said it had 12 uncovered skateparks, where Olympic BMX rider Kieran Reilly had honed his skills.

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