When I was a kid, Watford Skatepark was more than just somewhere to skate. It was my sanctuary.

After losing my dad to suicide and growing up around difficult family circumstances, I didn’t always have a safe place to go after school. The skatepark became that place. It gave me freedom, community, confidence, and a sense of belonging when I needed it most.

Now, Watford Skatepark is under threat.

There are plans to demolish it and replace it with more flats, in a town already dealing with heavy traffic, pressure on local services, and a shortage of meaningful community spaces for young people.

Building more flats while removing a long-standing community asset will only deepen those problems.

Watford does not need to lose another vital third space. It needs more places where young people can be active, build friendships, develop confidence, and feel that they belong.

For generations, this skatepark has helped keep young people off the streets by giving them somewhere positive to go. It has supported skaters, BMX riders, scooter riders, artists, musicians, and local families.

For many, it has been more than a skatepark. It has been a lifeline.

Oxhey Activity Park is not a suitable replacement for Watford Skatepark. It serves a different purpose and comes with ongoing issues that make it unsuitable as a dedicated skate space.

Users regularly raise concerns about overcrowding, constant foot traffic through active riding areas, health and safety risks, and ramp and feature design that does not properly meet the needs of skaters, BMX riders, and scooter users.

There are also frequent situations involving very young children entering the skating area without close supervision, which creates avoidable risks for everyone involved.

Many in the community feel this has made the space unsafe and unreliable as an alternative.

Watford Skatepark has its own identity, history, and community. It cannot simply be replaced by another park that does not offer the same function, atmosphere, or safety.

We are calling on Watford Borough Council and the relevant local authorities to reconsider any plans to redevelop the site and to recognise Watford Skatepark as an Asset of Community Value. This would help protect it from redevelopment and acknowledge the important role it plays in the lives of local people.

Protecting Watford Skatepark means protecting a space that has genuinely changed lives.

Please sign this petition to help save Watford Skatepark and preserve a vital community space for Watford’s young people, families, and future generations.