A new, larger skate park is coming to Gordon Spratt Reserve in Pāpāmoa with a cool layout, smooth surfaces and features that will improve the skating experience for all abilities says Tauranga City Council.

The existing skate park is no longer fit-for-purpose and will be demolished and rebuilt over the next few months.

The new skate park, which will also include a whole swag of quarter pipe and street style features such as a manual pad, a street hip, a euro gap, A-frame ramp, stairs, ledges and rails, is expected to open in September 2023.

In addition to the new toilet block and seating that have recently been installed as part of the overall upgrade to the reserve, Tauranga City Council will also install and build other amenities such as new lighting for the skate park, a pathway in and around the skate park, a barbeque, more seating, more rubbish bins, bike racks and shade sails.

Barbara Dempsey, General Manager Community Services at Tauranga City Council says Tauranga's growing skater community has told us the existing skate park is outdated and not fit-for-purpose.

'We'll be increasing the skate park's footprint by approximately 300sq/m to an overall size of approximately 900sq/m.

'As well as increasing the footprint, new lighting will be installed so the skate park can be utilised in the evenings during winter. That's been one of the main feedback from our skater community; being able to utilise skate parks all year round, day or night.”

Demolition work on the existing skate park will take place during May. As part of the demolition process, the old concrete will be removed from site, crushed and recycled.

Construction of the new skate park will follow and take approximately four months to complete.

This is weather dependant as a major part of the work will involve pouring new concrete to create the layout and smoother surfaces.

'We aim to minimise any disruption that may be caused by the construction. The site will be fenced off and there will be temporary traffic management in place to keep everyone safe while the new skate park is being constructed,” says Barbara.

'While work is taking place, there are alternative locations for skaters such as Arataki skate park and Memorial Park ‘benches'. We thank the community for their patience and if the weather is good to us, we plan to open the new skate park in September for all to enjoy.”

The council says this is one of several projects taking place across Tauranga to create a more liveable city that has amenities and environments that contribute to a sense of wellbeing and enjoyment, and to complement the construction of Tauranga's destination skate park at the corner of Mount Maunganui and Hull Roads.

"Tauranga has enjoyed a long history of being one of New Zealand's favourite surfing destinations and Council wants to add skating to its outdoor adventure sports offering."

Funding to build this new skate park, along with complementary amenity improvements to the Gordon Spratt Reserve, comes from the Pāpāmoa Development Contributions.

"Development contributions play a large part in paying for the growth of our city by helping to fund the infrastructure required in new urban growth areas and across the existing parts of our city."

For more information about the Gordon Spratt Reserve skate park, please visit Council's website at www.tauranga.govt.nz/skate