Following a fresh round of voting, Honiton youngsters have now chosen a second £90,000 design for their skate park at voting events held by East Devon District Council.

Interest in the project was impressive, with significant numbers of young people taking part in each of the three voting events.

The choice was between three designs and the winner with 58% of the votes was Option B, a design from Maverick. EDDC will now work with Maverick to get this design installed and opened as early as possible.

The £90,000 has come from EDDC’s main budget and is being spent on Honiton skate park as it was judged to be the most in need of improvements in the district with many of the ramps at the very end of their life.

EDDC held a round of voting on four skate park designs in December last year but unfortunately the company that submitted the winning design was unable to fulfil the contract.

Choose This new round of voting was to allow the young people to choose between the three remaining designs.

EDDC has been working with members of Honiton Youth Centre and students at Honiton Community College since July 2013 to come up with a design incorporating the improvements that the youngsters want to see at the Allhallows Field skate park.

Top of the shopping list was a concrete skate park with ramps poured on site. They also asked for a half-pipe facing the opposite way to the current one, a quarter pipe linked to the half pipe, a grind rail and a spine.

The young people’s specifications were sent off to several skate park companies, who all came back to EDDC with their interpretations of what the young people asked for. The skate park users got to vote on which one of the designs they want installed.

‘Fantastic’ Councillor Iain Chubb, EDDC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for young people to decide how money is spent on their skate park. I am very pleased that the Council was able to find the money to make the much-needed refurbishments and that we made a commitment to work with the young users it to make it happen.

“Skate parks become a great place for young people to gather and show off their skills. It also appeals to age groups from 4 to 40 so we are pleased to support this great sporting activity! Thank you to Honiton Community College and Honiton Young People’s Centre for getting involved. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished result”.