A REVISED planning application to build a skate park on South Hill is due to be submitted ‘shortly’, according to the government.
The original application, which was submitted in March 2021, was withdrawn earlier this year due to concerns over ‘heritage and ecology issues’.
Construction of a different skate park, at Les Quennevais, has already begun. This facility had been due to open on 15 July, but design changes and the impact of the war in Ukraine are said to have delayed its launch.
A decision was made by the States in 2021 to submit applications for two parks following difficulty in finding an appropriate location for a single facility.
Calls for new skate arenas were ignited in 2018 after the New North Quay site was temporarily closed to users.
A government spokesperson said: ‘In March 2021 the government submitted a planning application for a skate park at South Hill with the original thought being that we would only receive funding for one main skate park. With funding then being made available within the Government Plan for two separate parks and after receiving definitive feedback on the plans from Development Control, it was decided to withdraw the application so the plans could be revisited [to create] a supplementary park more in keeping with the South Hill area rather than as the main Jersey park.’
They added: ‘Government officers have now been working with key stakeholders and contractors to ensure the plans for the park are more landscape-architecture led and consider integration and connection of the wider area. Work is currently being done on an outline application for restoration and improvement of the historic parks and how a skatepark can be incorporated and we are planning to resubmit the planning application shortly.’
