Bournbrook Skate Park: Plea for 'social value' amid fears for its future

Thousands of people have signed a petition to save a Birmingham skate park from redevelopment.

Campaigners said Bournbrook Skate Park was under threat from a social housing application and expansion plans by a nearby Aldi store.

Volunteers who cleared the area and built the facility two years ago said social value should come before commercial value.

The council said all feedback would be considered before final decisions.

The site was the first DIY project of its type to be given formal skate park status by authorities having met safety standards, campaigners said.

They add it has also been endorsed and supported by Skateboard GB, the national governing body for the sport.

The volunteers who make up Birmingham Skate Space established a community interest company in 2020, saying they liaised with the council about how to run it without a cost to the authority.

"The area was full of needles and very run down with sort of a muggers-alley vibe," said director Berni Good.

"But the volunteers cleared it and renovated it and built the park and it's really family-friendly."

She said she understood the need for social housing in the area and had also tried to engage with Aldi but received no response.

Ms Good said the park had a positive impact on people's mental health, adding: "We've engaged with the council about how best to run it with no cost to them and now we have this looming commercial project and we say 'don't put commercial value over social value'."

A spokesperson for Aldi said it was in the early stages of the planning process and was yet to submit a formal planning application, but launched a public consultation exercise over a possible store extension in October.

"As part of that process, we are working with a wide range of local stakeholders including Birmingham City Council, the Selly Oak Community Development Trust, and members of the skate park community, and we'll consider all their views before finalising any plans for the store," they said.

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