A new BMX park is set to open at Peel Park in March after planning permission was agreed by Salford Council.
Contractors will begin development in the early year for the park which has been brought to life by numerous charities including Little Hulton Big Local and Salford CVS who have been working alongside Access Sport and Sport England.
The cost of the project will amount to just under a quarter of a million pounds after there was only one objection from over 20 public responses.
Alison Jones, Development Manager at Little Hulton Big Local commented, “We’ve always had comments from young people in the area asking for a park, and we heard they wanted to have a bike track.
“Initially, we didn’t have the technical expertise so we weren’t sure how to make it and we were hesitant to spend big money. We were then introduced to Access Sport who were looking to open a bike track in the North West.
“We met with them and we agreed to invest £50,000 from our own budget, we have payed an initial £12,500 at this stage, with another £12,500 coming in the next month.”
Access Sport have also invested their own money into the project and have managed to draw funding in from elsewhere, with Sport England contributing as well.
Mike Power, Manager of Manchester operations for Access Sport said, “We had a conversation with Big Local for a plan to develop a bike track through discussions about positive engagement with children.
“We have BMX parks in London and Bristol, I’ve been working in places with deprivation across Manchester and Trafford and we’d like to start speaking to other councils and hopefully this park is the first of many in the North.
“We have had great feedback about the track, the young people say it will be well used and they were very supportive. I think it can have a positive impact in the area.”
The BMX park will have a volunteer-based scheme, with Alison Jones adding, “For people who want to volunteer, it’s a chance to give back to the community and also something to enjoy. Young people are a joy to work with.
“It’s going to be unique, there’s nothing else like it in Salford. The young people asked for this. Sometimes you get what you ask for and you can achieve change.”
For those interested in becoming a volunteer, you can contact Alison through email at Alison.Jones@Salfordcvs.co.uk.
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