Let's Talk Skateparks - Closing the Loop

Thank you all for your participation in our recent topic on skateparks! We heard from over 430 people, and we are excited to be sharing back what we have heard from you.

Who we heard from

From 28 March to 1 May 2024, we launched the conversation with the community ‘Let’s Talk Skateparks’. We had 1.4k project page views during the engagement period and 430 commented using our survey and ideas board.

Here is a summary of what we heard from within our survey:

• Information about what suburbs is in each Ward can be found here - Ward 1, Ward 2 and Ward 3. The highest recorded suburbs of people who participated to the survey were:
  • Thirroul – 57
  • Wollongong – 27
  • Fairy Meadow – 19
  • Port Kembla – 19
  • North Wollongong 19
    
    

What we heard

• Shade, water and lighting are the top three favoured elements that should be considered in the design of the new skateparks.
• Modern skateparks should feature visually appealing, culturally reflective designs, cater to all skill levels with diverse obstacles, include essential amenities and be inclusive, accessible, and community-oriented, while supporting professional and competitive use.
• Good lighting, security cameras, open and visible locations, inclusive design for different skill levels, family-friendly spaces, essential amenities, community engagement, and aesthetically pleasing, well-maintained environment are all really important factors for a skatepark to have for the community.

If you want to read more, we have created an Engagement Report you can view that captures the feedback from the Let’s Talk Skateparks in more detail.

What happens from here?

We will use the information gathered from the ‘Let’s Talk Skateparks’ in a number of ways such as:

• Supporting the design process for the new skateparks in Wollongong City Centre and Thirroul
• Consider the data in any future strategies in Sports and Recreation
• Use the data to understand the audience in similar recreational spaces.

We will continue the conversation on skateparks with all participants who contributed to the Let’s Talk Skateparks engagement. The Engagement team will continue updates direct to those who opt in using email. To be added to the Skateparks Register of Interest, click the 'Follow Project' on this page or email engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.au and ask to be added to the 'Skatepark Stakeholder list' to have emails direct to you. You will see future updates on the Our Wollongong webpage and our social media channels.