Deputy to chat new park plans with island’s skaters

Monday 15 January 2018

The Olympic sport of skateboarding should be “facilitated” not discouraged in Jersey according to one politician – and now he wants to sit down with local skaters to figure out how to get them a new park.

St Helier Deputy Russell Labey has called for a public meeting to be held at the Town Hall on 6 February so that the Skateboard Community can speak to the politicians who are currently working on finding them a new home.

It comes after Ports of Jersey closed the New North Quay skate park earlier this month following a number of incidents alleged to have put both skatepark users and members of the public at risk, including a number of “near misses” with vehicles.

Following the news of the closure, Steve Pallett, St Brelade Constable and the Assistant Minister for Economic Development with responsibility for Sport, signed an agreement with Ports of Jersey to allow the reopening of the skate park during weekends and holidays. 

Constable Pallett also confirmed that he had set up a working group with St Helier's Constable Simon Crowcroft and Deputy Andrew Lewis to find a permanent location for a new skateboard park. While different locations – all of which are in town - are being considered, the working group said they were keen to hear from the skateboard community to make sure they pick a location that will fit the users. 

Video: The scene at the empty skatepark, after it was closed by the Ports of Jersey.

Deputy Labey said he decided to set up the public meeting scheduled for February after some local skateboarders contacted him. He wants to reach out "to all those skateboarders who, of course, as yet don’t have a formal association." He is inviting skateboarders of all ages as well as their supporters, families and guardians to attend the meeting "to give a voice to this sporting community, which often operates outside “organised sport.”

"We want to try and reach out to all those who enjoy skateboarding to come and demonstrate the need for this new Olympic sport to be properly facilitated in Jersey with an appropriate & exciting new home. Steve Pallett, Sports Minister, and his steering committee are eager to listen and communicate with skateboarders throughout the Island and this could be the way to do it. It’s a start!" Deputy Labey said.