The pavillion at Moor Park

A brand new skate park in a Preston park has moved a step closer as lottery funding has been secured.

Moor Park is to have £1.7 million invested in creating a skate park along with other improvements in the park.

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The Big Lottery Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund cash is part of a wider restoration project at the grade-II listed park, which sees a total of £2.16m invested to the paths, park furniture and work at landmarks such as the observatory.

The skate park had planning permission granted in 2011 for the site opposite Deepdale, with the sketches below showing what the skate park is due to look like.

Councillor Robert Boswell, Cabinet Member for Community and Environment said: “This is truly great news for the people of Preston. We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund have given us this support.

“We will see the biggest single investment in Moor Park since it was set out in the 1860’s and we are very excited to be able to deliver these improvements.”

Other improvements to Moor Park include more trees, the bringing back of an ornamental garden and the refurbishment of a stone grotto.

The Preston City Council plan for the park also includes establishing an events area, cricket pitches and additional gardeners to ensure the park is well maintained.

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said on behalf of HLF and the Big Lottery Fund: “Our report revealed how valued public parks are by people and communities and how essential they are to our physical and emotional well-being.

“That’s why HLF and the Big Lottery fund have invested over £700m in parks since 1996. But the report makes clear that our parks face an uncertain future and so it’s exciting to see how this new investment is going some way towards helping parks like Moor Park find new ways of funding and maintaining them so they are still here to be enjoyed long into the future.”

It’s not known what part the now infamous Moor Park rats play in the restoration project.

What do you think? Do you visit Moor Park? Do you skate? Let us know in the comments below