New outdoor activity centre including skate park planned for Barnsley
The project includes a skate park, parkour area, cycling routes, and social spaces with canopies
Plans have been lodged for an outdoor activity park as part of a new youth centre in Barnsley.
The project includes a skate park, parkour area, cycling routes, and social spaces with canopies, aimed at providing young people with more opportunities for outdoor recreation, at the site of the new Youth Zone on Schwabisch Gmund Way.
The development site, located within Barnsley Town Centre, was previously an unused electricity depot. The first phase, which includes the construction of the main building, is already underway.
The activity park will be sited behind the building, bordering Harbrough Hill Road, and includes plans for around 40 new trees and landscaping works.
Plans for a clubhouse and cafe, which were part of the original scheme, are no longer going ahead, after a survey found there was limited interest in a cafe on site.
A report as part of the application states that the youth club will provide affordable, subsidised food options for young people and their families, further reducing the need for a café. The park’s design will now include a flexible plaza, which can host pop-up food vendors.
One neighbour has objected to the scheme, on the grounds that it offers no social benefit for older residents, as well as disturbance during construction. –
The activity park is recommended for approval by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council officers, who say the scheme will provide a safe, modern space for young people to engage in sports and social activities, which are considered to outweigh these concerns.
With the inclusion of CCTV to monitor the site and measures in place to ensure noise levels remain manageable, the project is expected to bring positive social and health benefits to the area.