Leicester: Plans for new £375,000 city skatepark approved

The council said it consulted hundreds of skaters before finalising the designs for the park

Plans for a new £375,000 skatepark in Leicester have been approved.

The city council has granted planning permission for the park next to the St Margaret's sports ground.

The authority said the facility would be a "exciting and popular" feature which will include flat bank ramps, grind rails, ledges, a stair set and a long quarter pipe.

Construction work will take start later this year and take four months to complete, the council said.

The council said it had consulted more than 500 skaters and BMX riders before finalising the design of the skatepark with specialist firm Maverick.

The park will complement existing sports facilities at St Margaret's, the council said

A spokesman for the council said: "With planning approval now in place, work can begin on preparing the site ready for construction of the new skate park.

"This will involve landscaping the area and introducing sustainable urban drainage measures.

"Construction of the skate park itself is expected to begin later in the year once a contractor has been formally appointed, and will take around four months to complete.

"St Margaret's Pastures is already home to a range of well-used sports pitches and other facilities and we're confident that the new skate park will be an exciting and popular addition."