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Time lapse video shows progress on new multi-storey Folkestone skate park in Tontine Street
11:05, 17 January 2019
updated: 11:08, 17 January 2019
A new time lapse video has been released showing the last year's progress on Folkestone's new, highly anticipated skate park.
Said to be the first of its kind in the world, the urban sports park is on course to open this summer.
The centre, called F51, will have facilities to let Tony Hawks of the future skate on three floors.
The new video shared by Guy Hollaway Architects shows the processes taken to construct a bowl floor, suspended five meters above ground.
A statement on their website said: "As the construction of the three floors progresses the sheer scale of the park can now be fully appreciated.
"Current progress takes us to the pouring of the concrete underway up until the third and final floor, the construction of the lift shaft, and the start of the internal fit out.
"The structural concrete bowl will be topped in a specialised concrete skate finish layer to create a competition standard skate bowl.
"Guy Hollaway Architects look forward to the completion of this exciting project later this year, and keeping you posted with updates in the meantime."
The complex has been in the making for several years but suffered a number of snags along the way due to the innovative design, project managers said.
Estimates placed the original six-storey design, proposed in 2015, as costing upwards of £14 million, double that of initial projections.
To cut costs it was decided to scale back the project by removing the top floor roof terrace, strengthening foundations and moving the boxing club from the basement to the ground floor.
It was decided the skate floors and climbing wall will remain on the middle floors.
The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust is funding the project based on Tontine Street and once complete it will be managed by the Shepway Sports Trust.
The park will house three floors of skating called 'bowl, flow and street', a café, function room, boxing gym at ground floor, a bouldering room and a climbing wall on the first floor.
The large skate bowls are said to be one of the reasons it will be an unusual asset.
Bosses are exploring opportunities for visitors to have ‘pay and play’ sessions as well as memberships.
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