Derry City and Strabane District Council is advancing plans for a new skate park at the Melvin Sports Complex, with a public consultation scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, from 10.30am to 9pm at the Melvin Sports Centre.

The consultation will allow the public to review detailed designs for the facility, which will be built on land adjacent to the existing sports complex.

The project, in development since July 2024, is part of a wider plan to create a new urban park and play area in the Ballycolman area. The council has engaged Curve Studios, led by specialist designer Jeremy Donaldson, to develop the skate park in collaboration with the Strabane Skate Park Committee. The designs will be displayed on high-quality boards at the event, with Council Green Infrastructure officers available to answer questions and discuss the proposals.

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This consultation follows an initial public engagement in August 2024, which saw strong support from over 100 attendees. Feedback from the upcoming event will inform the final designs before the project moves to the planning application stage.

Liam Cannon from Strabane Urban Sports highlighted the significance of the project: "We're delighted to have reached this exciting stage in bringing a free-to-use urban sports park to our community. Now four years into our campaign, we've been working closely with the council to create a facility that's truly unique to Strabane.

"We'll be present all day at the upcoming public consultation, alongside Skateboard NI, whose generous support has helped us reach this milestone. We look forward to meeting you there and are happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have."