Newtownabbey’s new £0.75m Skate 100 park now open beside Valley Leisure Centre

Skate 100 is described by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council as “one of the largest skate parks in the UK and Ireland “.

The 14,000 sq ft facility located at a site beside the Valley Leisure Centre is suitable for skateboards, scooters, inline skaters, Parkour and BMX freestyle.

It had been first mooted by the legacy Newtownabbey Borough Council.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council says: “Skate 100 is designed for thrills, flips and fun. It features a 10 foot deep bowl, ledges, stairs,  banks, sharp hips, waterfalls and volcanoes.”

It will be open “from dawn until dusk” with floodlights to be switched off at 10.00 pm.

Last April, the borough council approved the £0.75m project after European funding was secured.

The V36 Urban Sports Park is a project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Match-funding has been provided by The Executive Office, Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development, Ireland.

The long-awaited V36 skate park had been on the council’s Capital Projects Priority List.

Commenting online, one woman said: “It’s a great park for the ever-growing skating community in Northern Ireland.”

There were also calls for a skate park facility in Antrim.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter