The area in Blackrock/Booterstown park between the Martello tower and the car garage has been left neglected for many years.
As part of the their masterplan for Blackrock Park, DLR County Council intend to put in niche sports facilities, like a skatepark and bouldering walls, and to be fair, it’s an ideal location.
It’s still at the very first step of many before anything is completed, and that right now is at the consultation stage – there’s a load of info in their PDF here – https://dlrcoco.citizenspace.com/parks/blackrock-park-have-your-say/consultation/ – fill out the info there and let them know what works, what doesn’t and what you want to see changed.
Skateparks seem like an easy thing to get right, but the devil is in the detail. Build and install something without asking the users for guidance and you will end up with a facility that nobody uses and thousands of euro go to waste. Or, you can build something which is well designed, laid out and constructed and you’ll have a park that’s a pleasure to use for generations.
Poured concrete is always the best building material for outdoor skateparks –
- Durable and requires little maintenance
- Smoother riding surface
- Can be shaped to fit unique underlying terrain and bespoke designs
Modular, pre-cast concrete, like what’s in place in Monkstown, Blanchardstown and Swords, is never the best option. Parks end up repeating the same mistakes by repeating the same obstacles and layouts. Steel frame ramps, blocks and obstacles are loud, damage prone and several steps down from modular precast concrete – they are always the worst option and will ensure that the skatepark will never get used to its full potential
There’s a lot of space to use and it needs to be done properly with bespoke, in situ concrete and granite.
Blackrock skatepark 