NORTON Town Council is considering applying for about £160,000 of funding to refurbish and revamp the skatepark.

The council, which manages the skatepark with Malton Town Council, has been considering the future of the skatepark following vandalism to the halfpipe a couple of months ago.

With the cost of repairing the damage being considerable, and given the age of the equipment, councillors felt that it would be a good idea to look into the cost of new replacements as there would be the possibility of Section 106 grant funding with this option.

Built 10 years ago, maintenance of Norton skatepark was taken over by the two town councils from Ryedale District Council in 2013.

The site, in Norton Road, which is leased from the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate. has one of the biggest half-pipes in the country.

Cllr David Lloyd-Williams questioned whether or not the skatepark was used enough to secure its long-term future.

“I am not sure the younger generations use it as much as they used to,” he said.

Cllr Di Keal said part of the problem was that the half-pipe, which was one of the skatepark’s main attractions, was currently out of use.

“The skatepark is an important asset to our community and to the local youngsters,” she said.

“There is precious little to do in Malton and Norton for kids to do and it would be a travesty to take it away from them.”

Councillors also agreed to review the current CCTV system at the skatepark after receiving quotations for its upgraded.

Cllr Ray King, mayor of Norton, said: “As we are co-operators with Malton Town Council, this would also require their approval, but we would be looking at an additional camera to also cover the riverside area.

“This would also hopefully provide evidence for the police of any issues happening in that area.”

Cllr Hugh Spencer said an additional camera would be a welcome move.

“I often walk along the riverbank and particularly during the school holidays there are an increasing number of children down there jumping on and off the picnic tables and leaving a massive amount of litter which is atrocious,” he said.

Councillors agreed to discuss the matter further at a joint meeting with Malton town councillors.