We believe that the best solution to the South Bank skate area is that skateboarding be kept at the undercroft, either as it is or in some kind of modified or even, ideally, expanded manner (News September 13).
However, we also understand the situation facing the Southbank Centre and believe it is worth spending some time now on considering the Hungerford Bridge site so it can provide the best skateable space while the Festival Wing works take place and, if necessary, a permanent home after that.
Doing this now means that we can allow for some gestation time, and then construction, for the Hungerford Bridge site to be useable in late 2014 (when the Festival Wing building works would be likely to start, and the undercroft closed). Not doing this now would mean running the serious risk of there being no skateable space for a period of months or even more.
The designs as released last week are far from being fixed, and indeed are only visualisations of the kinds of things possible. We have been trying to put together an initial brief which a wider group can take forward. The intention is to develop options with skaters, bmx, graffiti, architects/designers etc over the coming months.
Iain Borden
via bdonline
Postscript
Email letters to buildingdesign@ubm.com including your postal address. We reserve the right to edit all correspondence
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