An extension to Godmanchester skate park is coming š
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Would you like us to visit your school? Speak to your PE lead today to have them get in touch with us so we can offer full day workshops to give the kids a chance to learn with us š
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In March 2024 we crowdfunded Ā£20,702 to kickstart our dreams of opening the first ever indoor skate park for Huntingdonshire. This 6 week campaign gathered lots of attention which saw us be featured on the BBC, ITV news and more. We also reached Huntingdonshire District Councils radar which subsequently saw me embark on a Business Accelerator Program to help me with what lay ahead.![]()
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Everything looked promising. We then embarked on the exciting journey of looking at commercial properties and ensuring I had a solid business plan to back up our ambition. We found a unit in Huntingdon which we viewed multiple times and began to envision how weād be able to operate in there as we look to offer a facility which Huntingdonshire has never seen before.![]()
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Little did I know that there are hurdles after hurdles to overcome during this process. Long story short after a couple of months of waiting we were given the bad news that a change of use would not be granted due to a clause in the contract between the landlord and HDC. Cool, something I should have been informed about from the get go didnāt shared with me until after Iād invested a ton of time on getting ready for it. The unit had been empty for 2 years and we could have gotten ready for Winter 2024 but it wasnāt meant to be. That unit is still empty a year laterā¦.![]()
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When leasing a commercial property Iāve been told it takes 3+ months to get the paperwork done and then itās another month+ to build the ramps and get set up. At this point we didnāt have a unit and the cold weather was already starting to approach. As frustrating as it was we had to accept we werenāt going to get anything sorted for the time of year when itās needed the most so I eased up on finding somewhere and shifted my focus to continuing to run the skate shop and skate school businesses. These have continued to grow and are proof of why this skate park facility is needed.![]()
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The last couple of months I have been back on the grind of trying to find a place where everyone can go and skate any day of the year regardless of the weather. Knowing the change of use dilemma we faced last year we made sure any landlord that we viewed properties for would be okay with having a skate park in their unit. We found another unit in Huntingdon suitable for our needs and again started to envision how awesome it would be to finally have an indoor skate park for Huntingdon. This time however I knew it was essential that a change of use would be allowed from Huntingdonshire District Council. After staff annual leave caused delays we received an answer last week. Once again we are unable to get a change of use done. The reason we received was that there would be an increased footfall through a busy industrial estate which is an amenity/safety issue. Plus the upgraded look of the units will benefit other businesses that need a modern looking facility. I guess skate parks are only allowed to operate out of old grim looking buildings then!![]()
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As frustrating as this is I have to respect the decision and be grateful that there are people within the council that are thinking about the issues that could arise when a new indoor skate park is opened. It would seem that getting a change of use is not a simple process and it would be a lot easier for every party involved if we only looked at units which already have the usage that we need. I then requested we could receive a list of all of the units within a 10 mile radius of Huntingdon that do have our class of use in place (E or F2) already and was told the planning department donāt have the resources to do that.![]()
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This leads me up to the current moment as I feel frustrated at the red tape and politics in play. Even during tough economic times I have managed to grow both of my skateboard based companies and I have the entrepreneurial capability to operate a much well needed facility for our area. I canāt even begin to stress how awesome it would be for so many people in our area if we can make this happen but as we move in to June I begin to fear that we will once again fail to get anything ready for Winter. This is the season when itās needed the most as outdoor skate parks become too dangerous to use from the wet weather.![]()
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If youāve read this far then youāre likely wanting to help, something we could really need right now. Here is a list of things that you may be able to help with ![]()
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- Do you know anyone within HDCās planning team that would have a meeting with me so I can learn more about the change of use process and what we can do to find a unit that would be acceptable for inhabiting a skate park in![]()
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- Do you know a landlord that has an empty unit within Huntingdonshire that would be excited by the prospect of having a young entrepreneur be their tenant? At the moment my communication is via estate agents. Cutting out the middle man and letting me speak directly to them would give me the chance to sell them on my dream.![]()
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- Do you know anyone that has dealt with a change of use issue before that would be willing to share their experience. My understanding is gyms, soft play areas, trampoline parks etc fall in to the same category as what weāre trying to do![]()
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- And lastly are you interested in getting involved yourself to take on some of the legwork to ease up the pressure on my shoulders![]()
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Iāve bothered to write up this big post today as I know Iām running out of time if I want to get this done for Winter 2025. Iāve made it my life mission to see this project out but I also need to be realistic with setting hopes and expectations when it seems everything is against us. Iām giving myself a week to take on board responses from this message and see if there is a unit out there for us to move in to. Im feeling deflated and thereās holy so much disappointment someone can withstand. It may well make sense at this point for me to delay plans again until more units come on the market or more help from HDC becomes available. This is my last ditch attempt to get help now and enthuse myself back to making this happen for 2025.![]()
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Thank you to anyone that read this through to the end, Iād love to hear from you - Jason
AFTER SCHOOL SKATEBOARD LESSONS WITH US![]()
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We will likely have a few spaces available next term for children to join one of our after school Keep on Skatinā classes. Message us now to enquire about a space š
Ramsey skate park is now open!
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