- UPDATE -
The Southbank Centre publish a new video to promote the skatepark relocation under Hungerford Bridge, just 5 days before their open forum
to discuss the Festival Wing with the public!!
With just 5 days to go before the Open Forum this weekend at Coin Street, where the public can discuss and air their views on the controversial new "Festival Wing" plan (which threatens to demolish the existing skatepark), the Southbank Centre launch this video in what is obviously a calculated move to help sway public opinion in their favour ahead of the meeting.
Once again, they have proved themselves to be extremely devious and dishonourable.
Our response to the video:
1: The video states that skateboarding has a long history across the Southbank, yet they won't tell you that there is also a long and documented history of the Southbank Centre having always tried to get rid of it.
2: They claim it is a larger space, when in reality it is far smaller than what the undercroft used to be before they closed off and reclaimed half of it back in 2005, during their last renovations and dishonouring their promise to re-open for the skaters.
3: The video also states that it was skated until 10 years ago, yet it fails to tell you that the reason it stopped getting skated is because the Southbank Centre demolished all the structures that made it skateable, in order to get rid of its users.
4: Ian Borden who is involved in these controversial designs appeared in this "Save South Bank" video just a few years ago, defending the undercroft.
5: These plans have come out without warning or consultation with the existing undercroft community, or the public.
