Skateboarders and graffiti artists are fighting plans to overhaul the Southbank Centre which will result in the loss of one of the key sites in the history of British skateboarding. And, despite promises to build a new skate park nearby, they have lodged an application with Lambeth council calling for Southbank Undercroft to be listed as a community asset.
In March plans were unveiled for the £120 million scheme which involves alterations to the art venue’s buildings and the spaces between them. A significant part of the proposal, which has previously attracted criticism from within the art establishment, is a commercial development which would create a number of shops and restaurants on the site of the Undercroft skate park.
The Southbank Centre has enlisted a creative research team from Central Saint Martins College to consult with skateboarders, graffiti artists, BMXers and other users of the public space. The intention is to involve them in discussions about the proposed new skate park which is scheduled to replace the existing one in 2015.
Despite this, campaign group Long Live Southbank has collected more than 25,000 signatures on a petition calling on the Southbank Centre, Arts Council England, Lambeth council and Boris Johnson to stop the relocation of the skate park.
Henry Edwards-Wood, of Long Live Southbank, told the Evening Standard that he understands the Southbank Centre has to improve its facilities to attract new visitors, but he believes that relocating the park misses the point.
“What we have now wasn’t designed by committee. It grew organically and is totally unique.
“People come from all over the world to watch the skaters on the Southbank and it’s sad to think something this creative could be replaced by something as unimaginative and sterile as another glass mall,” he said.
Lambeth council leader, Lib Peck, recognises the significance of the site and hopes agreement can be reached.
“The Southbank Centre is an important asset to the borough and the skate park has become an established part of it.
“We would like to see skateboarding kept on the Southbank and are confident that a satisfactory solution can be found,” she said.
This is the second time this month that the Southbank Centre plans have run into trouble. Last week the Twentieth Century Society raised concerns about the huge glass box that will loom over the 1960s venue.
The conservation group believes there is a danger the structure could swamp the buildings and obstruct views of the National Theatre from Hungerford Bridge. They also criticised the lack of images and sketches which, they say, leaves people unaware of the height and scale of the proposed overhaul.
Despite these criticisms the Southbank Centre claims that the first stage of the public consultation shows that the scheme has wide support, with 85 per cent of respondents approving the proposals. The plans have also been welcomed by the team responsible for the original design of the complex.
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