Strabane Urban Sports founder ‘very pleased’ with meeting

LIAM Cannon, the advocate behind Strabane Urban Sports (SUS) and a key figure in the campaign for a skate park in Strabane, has expressed his satisfaction with the community’s turnout at last week’s consultation on the proposed urban sports park.

On Wednesday of last week, locals were invited to come and have their say on the possibility of an urban sports park, a development which would include skating, skateboarding BMX-ing and other such wheel-based activates.

Liam, who has long campaigned for such a space within Strabane, said, “I was at both sessions and, in my opinion, it went very well. One hundred and one signatures were gathered in favour of the skate park and we had three people in opposition. A lot of younger children turned up, excited to see what the whole idea was about and seemed keen to be part of the journey when the park is up and running. There were definitely a lot of positives.”

Previously, the council had considered a site at Beechmount Avenue, but due to a lukewarm response from locals, the focus shifted to Melvin. The main concerns from the consultation were about potential anti-social behavior at the proposed site.

Liam continued, “We were delighted with the positive response but certainly are not and will not be dismissive of any concerns people have about the park.

“The main concerns were surrounding possible anti-social behaviour at the site. SUS have liaised closely with council throughout the selection process for a suitable site, going through a matrix of council ground available to us and this was the best site we looked at. The group aren’t just ‘winging it’, working with other similar groups across Ireland to see how their urban parks are being run.

“If anything, I believe that an urban sports park will enhance a sense of pride and ownership to those who will ultimately use the park, therefore banishing any thoughts of people standing around drinking late at night or bothering nearby homeowners.