Ivybridge, Devon, 26th January 2022
Devon County Council have agreed to fund scoping work in Ivybridge for an ambitious new project. Our vision is supported by 99% of respondents in our recent consultation.
For decades Ivybridge has seen unprecedented housing development without the parallel growth in infrastructure and services, particularly for young people and certainly for those who do not identify with team sports. Like other towns in South Devon, Ivybridge currently has a badly designed and poorly maintained skatepark; when the planned town centre redevelopment takes place, our only facility will be destroyed to make way for Aldi. At this juncture Ivybridge has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capitalise on the Team GB success in Skateboarding / BMX at Tokyo and properly address this existing imbalance.
Skate South Devon CIC (SSD) has proposed a strategy for ‘levelling-up’ provision in wheeled sports that also offers to reinvigorate Ivybridge post-COVID-19 with a sense of pride and reinforce its identity as a centre of sporting excellence for all. South Hams District Council (SHDC) will be undertaking the town centre redevelopment – the current skatepark sits on land owned by them; we are asking SHDC and Aldi to ‘step-up’ by making additional open space and funding available for replacement facilities. Our strategy document details a small, traditional and centralised ‘feeder’ park and a second pioneering project at Filham Park that would be the first of its kind in the UK. Inclusivity for wheelchair users would be built into the construction at Filham through its rolling, open design – such parks are already popular in the US and combine ideas from both skatepark and pump track design. We are calling it a ‘pump park’.
Today, our campaign for nationally-significant wheeled sports facilities in Ivybridge has been boosted by the commitment of Councillor Roger Croad and Devon County Council (DCC) to support our bold vision with a £1000 investment to cofund further scoping work. Large numbers of residents have also lined up to support the SSD strategy. From 250 responses to our recent consultation, 99% either ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ with our vision. Just under 50% of our supporters are female; our figures show that the growth in these sports is not limited to males or young people – the community of Ivybridge wants to see this change. By building this unique and groundbreaking platform we can bring wide reaching impacts to Ivybridge and South Devon through ongoing physical and mental health, cultural, social and economic benefits.
