There are skateparks in almost every locality, providing young people with a safe and legitimate place to practise, develop their skills and spend time with their community. But there are very few equivalent facilities for graffiti and street artists.

For many young artists, graffiti is something they are passionate about learning, but there is nowhere to practise legally. This means they are often pushed into painting in secret, on infrastructure that isn't intended for it, or trying to build makeshift walls in their backyards. Not everyone has the space, money or permission to do that.

This creates an unnecessary divide between young people who want to participate in different forms of street culture. We have recognised that skateboarding needs dedicated spaces, so why not give graffiti artists the same opportunity?

A properly designed and managed graffiti wall would give artists somewhere safe to practise, experiment, collaborate and develop their skills. It would also create an opportunity for councils to support emerging artists, provide positive activities for young people and reduce the pressure that leads to unwanted tagging on public and private property.

This isn't about encouraging vandalism. It's about creating a legitimate pathway for people who already want to make art. If we can build facilities for skateboarding, BMX and other youth cultures, we can build places for graffiti artists too.