Top-class facilities for Swansea’s skate and BMX community underway

SKATE and BMX fans are set to enjoy a new generation of top-class facilities under plans by Swansea Council.

More than £1m has been set aside for new equipment to help boost sports that are growing in popularity across the city.

And now it’s appointed award-winning international experts Curve Studio – who’ve designed and managed creation of skate parks across the UK and in Europe – to help get the wheels rolling in communities across the city and help us deliver improvements and new facilities to help these sports thrive.

Swansea is already home to wheeled sports champions, past and present, like Olympian BMX’er James Jones, and there’s a thriving network of clubs and enthusiasts who have worked hard to promote the need for better facilities.

Robert Francis-Davies, Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism said: “We want to create among the best community network of skate, BMX and wheeled sports facilities of any local authority in Wales.

“Curve Studio will work with wheeled-sports enthusiasts and our well-established skate and BMX communities to design places people will love. They will work with the Council make these dreams a reality.”

“We chose Curve Studio not just because they’ve designed some thrilling skate parks all over the UK, but also because they’ve a great track record in collaborating with local people to develop the facilities people want to see.

“Like us, they recognise how well-designed skate facilities not only offer a brilliant, fun place to use but also helps support well being, use of free, open spaces and improvements for their local communities. We’re very excited about their ideas and ambition to help us transform skate and BMX facilities around the city.”

Over the last two decades Curve Studio have worked with partners in London, Devon, Eastbourne, Northern Ireland and across Norway to create much-loved skate parks and BMX tracks. They have recently completed the most northern skatepark in the world, in the Norwegian Arctic.

In Swansea the first phase of Curve Studio’s work will be to review current provision and work with a range of key stakeholders, local groups and organisations to produce a masterplan on potential investments for Cabinet to consider.

Phase two will see Curve Studio oversee procurement of any construction and investment into sites, to deliver on the council’s vision of a new generation of skate and wheeled sports facilities for the city.

Swansea already has a network of community skate and BMX facilities around the city, including in Victoria Park, Loughor, Gorseinon, Morriston and Townhill.

Current facilities are well-used and some have been upgraded recently, while others require further investment. But Curve will bring experience from their other successful skate projects so that provision in Swansea is transformed in coming years.

Cllr Francis-Davies said: “Curve Studios have a great track record for involving communities in skate facilities they create and that’s a big plus for us.

“Like us, they want to see the next generation of skate facilities in Swansea help harness the dedication and enthusiasm of skate and BMX-ers so that whether it’s for fun, wellbeing or because they have aspirations of Olympic greatness, wheeled sports fans in Swansea will have somewhere to express themselves.”

Cllr Francis-Davies said: “Curve Studio will also help us make sure so that what our communities get is value for money and spaces they will be inspired to use.”

He said: “The last Olympic Games saw a surge in interest in skate and BMX and next year’s event we’re sure it’ll do the same. We already have Swansea athletes represented in the national, Commonwealth, Para and Olympics events, and we definitely want this to continue in future years, with competitors representing their country who first found their balance at one of our Swansea venues.”