Your design-hub: A place to keep up to date on information and to input your ideas, which will have an impact on your project’s design and outcome. It’s your CANVAS…
introduction
Welcome to your project’s page. Here you will find up to date design information for comment. This page is used as a communication tool in between project stages.
CANVAS are pleased to be selected to develop your skatepark with you and will use this tool, coupled with any in-person consultation, to develop the design to sign-off stage.
Below is the first draft design, to be developed with you, the user stakeholders. We will use incoming comments from the form below and from design workshops advertised to develop the design.
Please use the box at the bottom of the page to send us your comments. Comments will be stored within CANVAS' Data Protection Policy guidelines. Essentially, only CANVAS employees and the project team will be able to view your comments.
Many thanks,
The CANVAS team
Information
We will be holding a consultation event in conjunction with North Herts District Council and Groundwork East. This will be an opportunity for you to see the initial design options to develop and a chance to discuss with the designers. Please see below poster for information.
The consultation dates are:
Thursday 27th February 6pm - 8pm
and
Thursday 20th March 6pm - 8pm
at:
The Rugby Club, Old Hale Way, Hitchin SG5 1XL
Comments can also be submitted via the box at the bottom of this page. Your comments will be collated and used to inform the design development also. Information will be held in line with our Data Protection Policy.
Upcoming consultation dates to be confirmed here…
April 17th. Design 03, based on design workshop 02
The following design takes into account discussions had within design workshop 02. The scheme shown is being quantified and costed for and should be nearly on budget, taking into account the the inclusion of the seating area, vert wall and deeper bowl elements will require some contingency use.
The interactive 3d model below includes design annotations.
Possible embossed memorial to Ben. This location is less likely to face the best orientation, so would possibly be better placed on the mini-ramp wall, with no grass mounding.
Interactive 3d model
Alternative bowl layout
This layout was investigated, but takes up a relatively larger amount of footprint, meaning that the street area would have to reduce to allow for. Included for discussion.
Design workshop 02 - 20.03.2025
Summary
Canvas hosted the second public/user consultation session alongside North Herts District Council and Groundwork East at the Hitchin Rugby Club. The aim of the session was to present the second design iteration, based on the feedback provided from the first consultation session. It was agreed that the next design iteration be a combination of the initial design and the second design iteration.
In attendance were 20+ members of the public, including skateboarders, BMXers and family and friends of Ben regarding the memorial aspect for the project.
Design discussed:
Discussion
Design explanation by Canvas:
The bowl has been redesigned to be 6-8ft depth
The bowl is taking up a lot more footprint at the expense of the area for the rest of the park
The mini-ramp remains as-is
The street/park area is a little tight. It was recognised during design stage that a clover-esque shape may reduce footprint or maximise the space more.
The seating area shown is above budget, but shown for discussion purposes
The overall footprint is slightly over, but can be reduced to budget without much change to the amount of features.
General discussion:
Reduce the extent of the 8’ element of the bowl.
Keep manny pad but perhaps have it at a height that can be used as a ledge. See Dean Lane Slab for reference.
Symmetry for the A-frame feature preferred, regarding the Hubba ledges.
Canvas mentioned that to make the bowl larger/deeper will require footprint reduction overall to maintain budget. Canvas’ recently completed Botley Bowl was shown as an example of blended transitions to create a bowl that offers lots of lines within a footprint that can stay modest. However, for the requirements for KGV, a more traditional bowl is preferred, with deeper transitions.
No overhang on ledges – attendants found overhung ledge-coping to be off-putting.
The flat bar needs to be centrally located, so that it can be approached from both sides.
Users like a waterfall in the bowl.
Consider the possibility of future floodlighting; install ducting for installation of floodlights as phase 2.
Bringing down the footprint by losing street features: The ledge and manny pad can be amalgamated into a single feature, like that at the Slab at Dean Lane, Bristol.
Ideally, the construction will take place during the rugby offseason, to minimise disruption.
Users still like the idea of a deep bowl, but a shallow end is also important.
The bowl needs to be practical and conventional to make sure the lines work; keep experimentation to the street section.
Ben’s memorial to be fully visible. Discussion of the location centred around the rear of the raised vert-wall or the side of the mini-ramp. Canvas showed options for a steel cut-out design of the provided artwork. This can have a plate behind the cut-out to create colour variation. Canvas has approached fabricators and have conducted research.
Design revisions to be considered
The bowl needs to be 5ft minimum at the shallow end. Agreed to look into a 1.5ft waterfall into one bowl, creating 6.5ft area, with an extension of 1.5ft, creating an 8ft area.
Keep the bowl a simple shape to prevent overcomplication of lines.
Keep the level change from the initial design, near to the roof-top element
Bowl needs to remain closed, since there is no other closed bowl nearby.
Remove ledge and manny pad, amalgamate these into one feature (using Slab as reference).
Locate the flat bar in a central position so it can be approached from both sides.
Ducting incorporated at construction phase to be considered, for any future installation of floodlighting.
Ensure orientation of wallride/vert wall is such that Ben’s memorial is fully visible to passers’ by.
Flush coping on ledges – no overhang.
Design workshop 01 - 27.02.2025
Summary
Canvas hosted a public/user consultation session alongside North Herts District Council and Groundwork East at the Hitchin Rugby Club. The aim of the session was to present the initial skatepark design and discuss ideas and any changes attendees had for the project, alongside answering any questions.
In attendance were 20+ members of the public, including skaters and BMXers of varying ages and the family and friends of Ben.
Attendee Information
Not all of the attendees filled out our form, though the ones that did represented the makeup of users, which was half and half BMXers and Skateboarders. All with a preference towards a mainly transition style skatepark with a little bit of plaza/street.
Discussion
Vandalism is an issue at the current skatepark so if there is anything we could do the help prevent future vandalism would be good.
Pedestrian access footpath to be considered as an extra budget requirement.
Future floodlighting would be favourable. To consider what elements can be installed at construction stage to minimise any future costs.
Coloured concrete not overly favoured. Landscaping would be a preferable use of budget.
There’s a need to prevent rugby/football players from walking mud over the skatepark. Potential signage to help prevent this.
Design changes to be considered
Close off the bowl - remove the roll-in channel. Mitigating users entering the bowl from other skatepark areas .
Both skaters and BMX users want the bowl to be more substantial as everyone loves transition.
Make the bowl bigger – happy to lose some of the street area and obstacles to do this, such as the manny pad and flat bar, though they don’t want to lose too much that could lessen the experience. Should be suitable for advanced users and BMX as well as beginners.
Develop the back of the bowl into one consistent bank or quarter, No walls. Bank to ledge or kerb on top as a board blocker - whatever we think is best.
Make the transition in the bowl bigger 6ft to 8ft, as all the transition in the area is relatively small.
If we are going to include a ledge, can it be 400mm+ for BMXers
Stakeholders would like a flat bank to wall ride for tyre taps or a sub-box either where the level change is or to the side of it.
Remove level change and make A-frame feature a bit more substantial. Users did however like the asymmetric nature with a mellow and steep bank.
Potentially have an extension quarter-pipe opposite the A-frame (where the level change was) to use your speed gained from going over the A-frame.
Hubbas to follow the new A-frame profile and for the thin ledge at the front of the A-frame to be swapped for a rail if possible.
Stakeholders would like more hardstanding area between the main skatepark and mini ramp.
A community member asked for more seating/substantial seating area as 2x benches doesn’t seem enough. Create an improved social space if possible.
Ben’s memorial feature: Friends and family have artwork that could work as a printed feature and perhaps embossed into a vertical wall or ramp-side. To investigate varied options for manufacture and design.
Meeting sketch
Initial design for development
Perimeter added by Canvas
Check back here soon for the interactive 3d model..
Have your say
Please add your comments via the form. Your comments will be used to inform the design which will be used in any upcoming design workshops. Your information will be stored by CANVAS and the project team only, in line with our GDPR Policy.