THE revamping of Ross-on-Wye’s skatepark could see the area transformed into a vibrant new facility for the town’s young people.

Andrew Houston, Herefordshire Council’s project manager explained to Ross Town Council that in common with most skateparks around the country, the facility needs a lot of maintenance and while it is functional, it is now looking tired.

Mr Houston observed that Ross Town Council had been looking after the site for 25 years and said: “When I first visited the site, I thought it could be so much more. This project to provide something for the town’s youth is exciting.

“Its connectivity is amazing as the river is in close proximity as is the forest in the corner of the site along with other opportunities of providing various items of equipment that could make this project an exemplary model for the future.

“The project’s objective is to provide a new skatepark, but it’s now much more than that. We want to promote active lifestyles for all ages.

“At the moment our focus is on providing an activity park, but what that will look like will be shaped by the Ross community through consultation.”

Mr Houston explained that there is a good budget for this project which has been provided by local housing developers, but this will not be enough to complete it, and the working group will be required to applying for additional funding.

Police Community Support Officer Claire Denton pointed out that a lot of teenagers from Monmouth use the skatepark and asked if funding for this new project could come from across the border.

Councillor Ed O’Driscoll replied: “Knowing that the current facility attracts people from out of the immediate area will stand us in better stead when we approach grant funders when we can legitimately say that we are drawing people from a much larger area than just the town itself.”