New skate park in Ypres will not come this summer

From the start, the city has closely involved Ypres skaters in the development of the park. For example, they were given a say in the new design and the city council organized a skate event with workshops and competitions. Marijn Verbrugge, national skateboarding coach, was also present at the time.

Ieper has drawn up a design specification based on all input. But only one firm ultimately submitted a bid. The Ypres skate community has now rejected that offer. The design does not meet a number of important questions.

Not safe

The layout of the park is not suitable for starting and advanced skaters to skate together. In the current design, there is a high chance that they will collide with each other. In addition, the available surface is not fully utilized. This is necessary, because the number of skaters in Ypres continues to grow.

According to youth aldermen Dimitry Soenen, the cost of the new skate park is estimated at 260,000 euros. That is a lot more than the skate parks of Roeselare (230,000 euros), Kortrijk (150,000 euros) and Poperinge (135,000 euros). “That high price is the result of rising raw material prices,” said the youth alderman.

Ypres is now looking for a company that can carry out the new design specifications. But it is already clear that there will be no new skatepark by the summer.