This Sheffield skate park and playground could be revamped

Council officers say the use of Oxley park at Stocksbridge has greatly declined in recent years and there has been little investment since the skate park was installed in the early 2000s.

The skate park now needs a lot of repairs and improvement, which the Friends Group are keen to do including providing a pump track.

In a report, officers say: "Play facilities are very poor as these are limited to a set of swings. As Stockbridge’s largest park, investment is required to provide facilities making the site a destination for the local and wider community.

"The aim is to transform the park to provide activities and opportunities for a wide range of ages and abilities.

"Stocksbridge Leisure Centre has successfully secured Lottery Community Funds from Sport England.

"A six-month project will include a fully accessible front entrance and reception area, a new meeting room and offices, a brand new cafe and a complete renovation of the wet side changing rooms.

"With these improvements to the leisure centre being carried out in 2020, planning improvements and investment in park facilities is critical.

"This includes moving the play facilities close to the new cafe and a better overlooked and visible area to improve safety of younger children.

"The work also needs doing to reduce the increasing maintenance costs of the existing skate park regularly needing repairs, by providing a more robust and sustainable concrete facility."

Officers say if they don't do anything the existing skate ramps would eventually need to be removed if they became unsafe or too expensive to repair and the site would continue to decline.

Ideally, the council wants to refurbish existing facilities, including the skate park, and create a new playground with at least five pieces of kit in a better location to the current one and plant new trees to provide shade.

Friends of Oxley Park, Stocksbridge Town Council and Steel Valley Project are working to find funding to increase the budget so both the skate and play improvements can happen.