Work is under way on a £150,000 extension and revamp of Selby’s skatepark.

It will see the park, at the town’s leisure centre, double in size and include features regular users have called for. New equipment and seating is being installed, and fencing is being removed to improve visibility and reduce opportunities for anti-social behaviour.

The facility opened in 2016 as part of the £7 million development of Selby Leisure Centre. The extension will make it a destination park for wheeled sports in the area and will be accessible to all skill levels and abilities, as well as those with a disability.

The design – which includes bowl, street and transition areas, as well as flat practice and warm-up areas – has been laid out so that on quiet days riders can carve around the whole park, transferring from feature to feature, but on busy days the park is split into zones ensuring a large amount of simultaneous riding. The variety of heights of the feature will also allow beginners to use the park confidently.

Our executive member for culture and leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “This is an exciting extension to a very popular facility in Selby and will provide the best Christmas present for its users.  

“During the consultation process, the users got involved in helping with the wish list for the facility and we hope they will be happy with our final designs.

“We want it to be a social hub for young people where they can meet and feel at home. A skatepark can strengthen bonds between groups of young people and break down boundaries like disabilities, gender, race and social class.”

Work is expected to take about two months. The skatepark will be closed throughout, but the closure does not impact on the adjacent all-weather pitch or any of the other leisure centre facilities.