A newly extended skatepark has opened in Selby to provide new facilities that were requested by skaters, scooter and BMX riders who use the site.

North Yorkshire Council opened the park this week after a £150,000 revamp, which has seen the facility not only double in size but include features asked for by regular users. 

New equipment and seating have been installed and fencing removed to improve visibility and reduce opportunities for anti-social behaviour. The extension means it is now fully accessible to all skill levels and abilities as well as those with a disability.

Selby Skate Community representative and rollerskater Shelley Delaney said: “It’s a great facility – just what we needed and judging by the number of people using it we hit the brief. It’s a brilliant park – the skating community in Selby love it.”

The park, which includes bowl, street and transition areas as well as flat practise and warm-up zones, has been designed so that on quiet days riders can carve around the whole park transferring from feature to feature.

However, on busy days it is split into zones, ensuring a large amount of simultaneous riding. The variety of heights of the features makes it ideal for beginners, too.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “We are delighted that the park has been reopened in time for Christmas. It is a very popular facility in the town and we are really pleased it is going down so well with users.

“One of the skaters told me it is better than the parks elsewhere in the region – and that’s because we did lots of community engagement, we listened and then we delivered.

“We want this to be a social hub for young people where they can meet and feel at home no matter their disability, gender, race or background. Our hope is that the new look will make it a destination park for wheeled sports in the area.”

The facility was first opened in 2016 as part of the £7 million development of Selby Leisure Centre by the former Selby District Council.