Mayo county town skate park project goes to tender

Progress has been made on a new skate park for Castlebar as the project has gone to tender.

Welcoming the news, local Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon said he was delighted that the development of the skate park at Lough Lannagh is being further progressed.

He said: “The creation of the new skate park for the community will serve to link an existing trail, provide access to loop walks, local amenities and sporting facilities in the vicinity.

"The scope of works conversed within the tender includes civil and site works, drainage, surfacing and soft landscaping. An allocation of €120,000 was secured from the Community Recognition Fund earlier this year to support this initiative.”

In early 2021, a masterplan was drawn up for Lough Lannagh and a site was identified for the park.

Deputy Dillon underlined the significances of this addition to Castlebar, stating: “This will be a fabulous addition to Castlebar and surrounding areas, and will provide enormous benefits for young people, both mentally and physically.

“At present, skateboarders and those taking part in roller sports are being forced to skate in unsafe areas on our streets and car parks. This will now provide a dedicated area for participation in these sports in a safe environment.

“There are so many benefits to the development of a skatepark in our county town, including health and social benefits. It will cater for children and adults, especially those who don’t follow the more popular sports in Ireland.”

Deputy Dillon outlined the collaborative efforts with local Councillor Ger Deere, Mayo County Council and members of Castlebar Skateboarding Club to bring this project forward.

He concluded: “The state-of-the-art skate park and games area off the Great Western Greenway in Westport has been an enormous success and I look forward to the project in Castlebar going to construction and its eventual use by the younger generation in the area.”