Vicki Curran and Bede Crasnich, with Conner Hudson, 13, at Holborn Park. Picture: ROBERT PEET
A skate plaza in North Sydney similar to what is being proposed for Berkeley. Photo: Wollongong City Council
Berkeley's Holborn Park will become home to the city's newest skate plaza, Wollongong City Council has revealed.
Ward three councillors Vicki Curran and Bede Crasnich asked council staff last July to investigate whether the park would be a suitable location for the plaza after previous sites around Lake Illawarra were deemed unusable.
Cr Curran said Holborn Park was approved late last year, allowing staff to turn their attention to designing the plaza.
She said community input into the design was essential to ensure the skate plaza would be well used by skateboarders and scooter-riders of all ages and skill levels.
"We're asking kids from Berkeley and surrounding suburbs to help us design this fabulous and much-needed facility," Cr Curran said.
"The council will be holding an information and feedback session at Holborn Park this Saturday.
"But we're also going to be hosting a series of workshops to get our young kids involved in designing this plaza.
"I anticipate once this is built it will be highly valued in the community and well used."
Cr Crasnich said Berkeley was an ideal location.
"Some people talked about this plaza being built at Warrawong over Berkeley, but Warrawong has a cinema and a shopping centre," he said.
"Berkeley doesn't have much in the way of entertainment for kids, so this will be a welcome addition for the area."
A council information sheet detailing what the plaza might contain says it will be designed to "reflect urban spaces that skaters typically seek, such as rails, ledges and bars in a variety of materials".
It may also include elements such as stairs, jumps and benches catering for different skill levels.
Berkeley teen and avid skateboarder Conner Hudson, 13, said he would likely use the skate park daily.
"It takes me ages to walk to the closest skate park at Unanderra, but this would only be about 10 minutes away from where I live," he said.
"I can only get to Unanderra [skate park] once a fortnight now, but I'd probably go every day if there was one in Berkeley."
Conner would like to see a half pipe, a bowl, a spine and stairs in the design.
The project carries an overall design and construction budget of $600,000 and is earmarked for completion in early 2014.
The council will hold an information kiosk at Holborn Park this Saturday from 10am to 12pm.