Better skate than never!... Ashbourne amenity closer than ever after OPW approval

The delivery of the much anticipated skate park in Ashbourne is closer to becoming a reality after the OPW gave the green light for plans to proceed.

We reported back in November how plans had been delayed due to the site requiring a flood risk assessment, however Meath Co Co has confirmed that they have recieved Section 50 approval from the government agency and a contractor will be appointed in the coming weeks.

Preliminary drawings for the proposed park were released by Meath Co Council in March 2022 with the skate park expected to be up and running later that year.

Late last year, Meath Co Council said that the tender process for the skate park was at an advanced stage with a preferred contractor identified. However, as part of the project, the Office of Public Works must give consent under S50 of the Arterial Drainage Act 1945.

That assessment has now been completed.

The plan for the amenity came to fruition after local teenagers campaigned for a skate park for the town.

Youngsters in Ashbourne set up a committee a number of years ago and handed a petition, signed by 180 people, to councillors, calling for a skate park.Fine Gael Cllr Alan Tobin has welcomed the news but critised the overall delay in the delivery of the park.

"I feel sorry for the kids back in 2015 that went to the trouble of putting a petition together and it only making ten years on.

"I was talking to one of these young people who is now 23 and is still delighted that the skate park is going ahead but has missed out on using it when he was at school with his friends when it was really needed.

"People think of it as just a skate park, it is now an Olympic sport now we can get a club together and try to develop it so that people are partaking in a sport they can do in the centre of the town.

"It is a concrete structure on a flood plain that if it floods one day a year or one day every ten years that is not a flood risk. That is an appropriate piece of infrastructure in an appropriate place that may flood once a year when the river is high,” Cllr Tobin said.

Meanwhile Sinn Fein Cllr Helen Meyer said: "This marks our closest progress yet toward making the skate park a reality. This is a step in the right direction, especially considering the need for corresponding infrastructure to support the increasing number of houses being built in Ashbourne.

"While fully appreciating the ongoing housing crisis and the increased number of homes under construction in Ashbourne, the local residents have been crying out for a public park for over a decade now. The CEO of Meath County Council is actively working behind the scenes to help make this a reality as well. I will continue to collaborate with the CEO to bring this vision to fruition."