The south bank skate park forms a hub for skaters around the world, a place that could be defined as a safe skate haven, a place that is dear to the heart of many as they have explored the unit from childhood to adulthood; breaking limitations and setting new goals to achieve.
Southbank is still today a prime meeting point for a lot of London skaters, also a canvas for Graffiti artists retaining its value to the rich artistry and cultural value of the south bank. Instead of taking away from the south bank it is giving back.
For sometime the Southbank skate park has been under threat, there have been plans to demolish and relocate the park put forward by Lambeth council, this was in order to make space for new retail and restaurants that will further develop the income in the south bank area.
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| Distant Memories |
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| Rich Grafitti Art, notice the SOS... |
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| The undercroft skating area, people passing by at the background and skate boarder in the mid ground |
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| " Thinking about what he may lose" |
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| The Green square indicates the location of the skate park |
The above images show what the current state of the skatepark is in 2013, this is a quiet week day. However when speaking to some of the locals, I was told that on a weekend it is far more busier than the week; although at evenings this is where people come to deflate after a long day.
" What do you think about the demolition of the Southbank Skate Park?"
A common response was revolved around devastation and a loss, I was also advised to visit this website http://www.savethesouthbank.com a website that leads to a petition, the petition is said to have drawn over 50,000 signatures from the UK and abroad demonstrating the importance it has to so many who use the area.
From an Architectural perspective, taking architecture in not the static but the emotional sense. The skate park gives the area personality, a fully interactive space connecting expressionists to one and another; holding skate jams as well as performances it relates to the static buildings in the area which host cultural and artist events alike; the removal of such a place disconnects social activities whilst depleting the areas richness. Here is a sample of the new proposal, which looks admittedly a beautiful attachment to an existing building accompanied by the introduction of further green spaces. 
Although this image is not directly showing the impact to the undercut it shows the overall vision for the area. To the common visitor it appears to be an attractive touristic place, which will indeed draw a sufficient source of further income to the area,additionally and possibly exploring other cultural values besides the skate cult known to the area. In the ideal world, we would prefer for the existing development to accommodate the 20% remains of the SouthBank skate park.
The voices were eventually heard in the SouthBank area, however the result comes with great compromise from the 'Long Live SouthBank Group' ( the group of skater challenging councils decisions).The group have been given the option to allow the skate park to become extinct so that the £120 Million redevelopment can go through, this is in acceptance of a new £1Million skate park to be built under the Hungerford Bridge;extending space by 10% with a 120 Meter span of floor space.
There are three different designs that could be put forward for the relocation as shown by the video above, which is just a little way from the original site. The acceptance from the skaters is still pending furthermore the idea is neither set in stone, so it is difficult to come to a conclusion until discussions have been made; it would be said that it is a very good offer, as an area like the Southbank skate park are lucky to have the opportunity to be heard. I think they should accept and create a new as well as positive outlook for the future of skating,BMX-ing and artists alike!
© 2013 Kerri Rochelle Simpson copyright
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