ABERYSTWYTH’S much-anticipated new skatepark should be finished by the start of September after works got underway last week.

Plans for the Parc Kronberg skatepark and community area have been finalised and work began with the dismantling of the old ramps in Boulevard St Brieuc last week after the town council’s successful bid for £440,000 of funding from the Big Lottery in October.

The original ambition was for the skatepark to be ready to use in time for the summer holidays, but the hope now is that the state-of-the-art facility will be ready in time for celebrations associated with the 20th anniversary of the Aberystwyth-Kronberg twinning relationship.

Mererid Boswell, née Jones, the former town councillor for Penparcau who submitted the lottery application and has been involved in the design process, told the Cambrian News this week: “We are aiming for it to be finished by the weekend of the 2 and 3 September.

“This would be in time for the visit of the Kronberg delegation who are visiting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of twinning.

“We did want it to available to use for the summer, but unfortunately that hasn’t been possible.”

There were calls from skaters for the new skatepark to be modelled on the facility provided in Haverfordwest, which is considered one of the best skateparks in the UK.

Asked how the design will reflect the varying abilities of skaters in Aberystwyth, Mrs Boswell said: “We are trying to accommodate the fact that it is not too challenging for newcomers but also provides for the better skaters.

“Hopefully we have found a compromise. But it does mean the skatepark won’t be as challenging as Haverfordwest."

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online now