A skate park under the Western Distributor is being considered by the City of Sydney Council as a viable way to utilise unused land in the CBD.
?The City has prepared a feasibility study to assess the suitability of a skate park at the Western Distributor underpass near Wynyard in the north of the CBD, and is recommending to Council the development of a concept plan for community consultation.?
The need for increased skate facilities in the CBD was identified in the City's 2006 Youth and Skate Facility Needs Study, which indicated that there are at least 2000 potential skateboarders living within the City of Sydney, and around 56,000 skateboarders living within 20 kilometres of the CBD.?
Clive Alcock, from Alland Alcock Urban Design, which worked on the original masterplan for the King Street Wharf precinct, said utilising left over land for recreational activities was a common practice around the world. ?
“In Hong Kong they use recreational spaces very intensively because of the highly urbanised population. As Sydney urbanises around the harbour edges, then it make sense to look at how it can be effectively used for recreation, occasionally those areas are used for urban uses or office buildings, but it’s fairly difficult.” ?
He added: “I think its good if you can get a use out of a vacant site, that acts as a bit of an attraction, but it needs to relate properly to the public domain around it — you don’t want it to be an isolated area in the evenings, and you need to consider what happens around it as well as in the space.” ?
The proposed site is owned by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and is currently maintained and managed by the City. The RTA was consulted during the feasibility study investigation, and the City will continue to work with the RTA as the concept plan is developed.?
Key project facilities could include an urban skate plaza, a skate bowl, defined skate routes to and from the space, improved pedestrian access and sustainable elements such as stormwater treatment design, water reuse and energy efficient lighting.?
A spokesperson for the City said that as the council has yet to endorse the development, no external parties or designers had been sought. However, if the project is approved it would open late 2010.
