Custom skate decks have always been seen at South Bank’s world famous Undercroft skate park, and should be around for much longer.
This year, after years of struggle, the Undercroft skate park was finally saved in March when £700,000 was announced for an extension.
For many years there had been an ongoing battle with the National Theatre which wanted to use the space of the skate park to extend it dressing room in order to be able to put on more ambitious performances. The space they wanted to expand it into was the Undercroft skate park.
Then the Southbank Centre looked at using the space to open up more shops and restaurants in the area which lead to LongLive Southbank pressure group putting in an application for funding to save the park.
In March it was announced that the funding has been won, to the ‘delight’ of Chief Executive Elaine Bedell.
She told the Evening Standard: “The development of this space will give skaters and BMXers access to newly opened up, and restored, sections of the Undercroft whilst young people and schoolchildren from across the capital will benefit from a new fully accessible arena for diverse creative and learning activities.”
The grant has been awarded as part of a £24 mullion investment grant announced by Sadiq Khan to help boost the regeneration of communities across London. The cultural significance of Undercroft skate park helped to secure part of this funding for the Southbank Centre.
