AFTER years of talk, a brand new skate park for Newtown is set to become a reality.
Councillors and young people in Newtown have been campaigning for a skate park for a number of years and a location and expected completion date have now been confirmed.
The park is expected to be completed and ready to use by the end of autumn and it will be built on land at the entrance to Trehafren Fields, behind Newtown Police Station.
Newtown County Councillor Russell George, who was involved in securing the funding for the skate park, said: “We have been campaigning for funding for a skate park for some time and I am now hopeful that the skate park will be completed and ready for use by the end of the autumn.
“The location of the skate park will be at the entrance to Trefahren playing fields behind the police station.
“This is a good location for it as it is fairly central and is not located too close to residential properties.”
Cllr George explained that the project has been put out to tender and that instead of asking companies to submit their own costings all bidders have been given a budget and told to work within it.
He said: “Often the council puts a tender together and looks for companies to submit their ideas and price, but on this occasion companies have been told how much they have to spend, and they have to bring forward creative bids.
“Each company bidding has consulted with young people from Newtown either by using the social networking site Facebook, or by meeting groups to listen to their suggestions.
“I have always believed it’s not councillors or council staff that should decide the design, it’s the people that will use it.”
The selection process will take place over the next few weeks, and the successful bidder will start work later in the summer.