The Council has agreed to enter into a Preferred Tender agreement with Maverick, a specialist skatepark company, to work with them to improve and develop the current site. The skate park opened in 2012 so the ramps are now over 10 years old. The park had to close recently so important safety repairs could be made.
The land for the park was donated by Devon County Council to the Town Council and funds to purchase the ramps were raised from donations from several companies and charities, public donations, plus grants from East Devon District Council and Ottery Town Council.
The park is made up of metal ramps on a tarmac base and features a mini ramp and a small back and forth run made up of quarter pipes, a driveway, hubba and a manny pad.
The Skate Park was initially run by Ottery and District Skate and BMX Trust, with free rental of the land and upkeep costs paid by the Town Council. In July 2022 the trustees/directors resigned en masse and the trust wound up. The Council stepped in to take control of the park to ensure the park remained open and available for the Ottery parish. The skate park was closed for a few months whilst checks and repairs were carried out, ramps repainted, new signage provided, legal work completed for the hand over, insurance cover arranged, and regular weekly safety checks organised. The skate park opened again in February 2023.
Work will start shortly to cut back the hedges to improve visibility and increase natural light on the site to make it more welcoming and improve the skating experience.
The Town Council is currently working with The Kings School, LED, Devon County Council and East Devon District Council on a new access path. This will give the skate park a dedicated access allowing it to open longer hours.
This is part of the Council’s ambition to make the skatepark more accessible, welcoming and a safe environment, whilst also improving the facilities to attract more users to the park. As part of this they are actively seeking people who use the site, or want to use the site, to get involved and have a voice on the future of the park. The Council are also exploring what groups would be able to run events and activity days at the park.
If you are interested in being involved with the skatepark please contact us at admin@otterystmary-tc.gov.uk or telephone 01404 812252.
Looking longer term the Council will be starting work on a funding package to update the facility and provide a modern state of the art spray concrete skatepark together with lighting and CCTV.
