District council releases £70,000 for a pump track in Petworth

The funding was approved at a meeting of the district council's Cabinet on Tuesday 11 February.

The project will be led by Petworth Town Council in partnership with local landowners, subject to all the relevant planning permissions being in place.

Councillor John Cross, Cabinet Member for Culture and Sport at Chichester District Council says: "Over the last 10 years both the district and town council have been working to find a suitable site for a skate park, but unfortunately an appropriate location has never been identified.

"Last year we asked Petworth Town Council to come up with alternative ways to use the money that we had set aside, and they put forward the idea for a pump track instead, and asked us to re-allocate the funds to this project.

"The district council's ward member for Petworth has also worked very closely with the town council and other local landowners to help find a suitable site. As a result, an area of under-used farmland has been identified, and a planning application will be submitted very soon.

"This will be an excellent addition to the town's facilities and in particular this new open-air facility will benefit the area's younger residents which is fantastic news."

A pump track is a purpose-built circuit track for cycling, featuring banked turns and features. This means riders can 'pump' or generate their own momentum through up and down movements, instead of pedals.  These tracks also cater for a wide variety of rider ability.

Date of Release: 12 February 2025

Reference: 4436