A NEW £400,000 skate park has finally opened to the public as part of a £1million investment to improve a park.

Work has now been completed on the long-awaited new skate park at Lake Meadows, Billericay, after residents campaigned for “better facilities”.

The old wooden skate park in Lake Meadows was removed after constant vandalism and an arson attack where it was set on fire.

Today, the fencing was removed after months of construction, and the park is now open.

Alongside the £400,000 skate park, half-a-million pounds was spent on a new play area and £100,000 has been spent on new changing places and toilets.

Phil Turner, Conservative Billericay West ward councillor, said: “It is brilliant news.

“I said it was a dream, and it has been a ten year dream in the making.

“We first came up with this many years ago, and started putting plans in place, then Labour took over and it was scrapped.

“But we got it back in, and plans went ahead. It is a massive victory for the residents of Billericay who have been calling it for as long as I can remember.

“I am so delighted I really am.”

The design of the new skate park was drawn up using feedback from residents and young people, including those who used the old facility.

Andrew Schrader, Conservative councillor responsible for Billericay East, added: “It is great to see the fencing has come down and, at last, the new Lake Meadows Skatepark is officially open.

“This is the culmination of years of lobbying and hard work to get the finance in place by local Conservative borough councillors following Billericay Town Council’s decision to close the old skatepark.

“Particular praise is due to the three Billericay West ward members, councillor Anthony Hedley, councillor Danny Lawrence and councillor Phil Turner, for their lobbying to re-provide this facility and also to my former ward colleague, Stuart Sullivan, who secured the funding in the budget.

“But mostly we must be grateful to all the young people who participated in the consultation and gave us the benefit of their knowledge and expertise to help design the new skatepark.”