BLACKBIRD and Greater Leys will be home to a brand new skate park before the summer, say Oxford city councillors.

The estate has been without any skating facilities since 2009, when the previous park in Cuddesdon Way was demolished to make way for a nursery.

But skaters have been promised they will have a new £60,000 park up and running by the summer holidays.

Councillors went around the estate knocking on doors last week to gauge the opinion of residents.

Northfield Brook city councillor Scott Seamons said: “We found people mostly very supportive on the doorsteps last week.

“We feel there is a lack of things for older children to do here.

“There are a lot of schemes around the city to give park equipment to younger children but a lack of things for the older ones.

“Some people were a bit concerned about the noise but most were very supportive of the idea and pleased to see something being done.”

The new skate park is planned for Fry’s Hill Park in Greater Leys, where a MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area) already stands.

It is hoped work could start as early as April or May, with Abingdon-based company Bendcrete Skate Parks on board for the design and build.

Councillors are also submitting an application for grant funding to environmental body Wren, with the hope of revamping a much larger area.

Oxford City Council cabinet member for parks Mark Lygo said: “At the moment, we are hopefully looking at a June finishing date for the skate park.

“But this isn’t just about that.

“We want to enhance the whole area with another £50,000 grant because that is what people want to see.”

Wren money – which comes from landfill tax credits – would be spent on removing graffiti, tidying and landscaping the land.

Cash for the skate park itself came from developers contributions – known as section 106 money – created from the building of the Co-op nursery in Cuddesdon Way.

Mr Lygo added: “It was important for all of us that we consulted properly with residents and spoke to as many people as possible.

“And people really wanted to see that land looking nice and being properly used. We want to make sure it’s accessible to everybody.”

The city council gave planning permission for a permanent skate park in Meadow Lane, East Oxford, in January.

Once built, the £300,000 park will end a 23-year-old hunt for a home for Oxford’s skaters.