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Youâve heard of âSouthbank' right? Youâve either skated it, seen pictures/footage or even "ridden" it on one of the random Tony Hawkâs pro skater games.
Well, once again itâs under threat of redevelopment and this time the threat feels more real than ever.
Skating Southbank is a rights of passage for skaters the world over. When I was a kid I used to save my money to ride the 2 hour train journey to London just to skate SB, back then it was a huge space and inhabited exclusively by skaters and the homeless. SB was never designed as a "Skatepark" but was quickly adopted by London's skate community as the gnarliest spot and one which could be skated in any weather conditions (handy in this country!) and soon became a solid reason to travel to the capital. When the space of the undercroft was halved it felt like a huge blow but the SB locals continued to rip the flat banks and even construct their own ledge in the top section.
Now the South Bank Trust are planning to redevelop the undercroft to house yet more chain restaurants and cafes. Many people are covering this story from ITV News, BBC etc. but Vice magazine of all people seem to have captured the true essence of why itâs a crime to even consider turning the undercroft into a bland eatery or jazzy coffee bar.
To read the excellent full article click here (Disclaimer: If you are under 18 I suggest you donât look at the rest of the Vice website as it can get pretty full on!)
Once you've read the story please take a minute of your day to sign the online petition to stop the redevelopment.
If you can then please show extra support by attending a weekend of skateboarding, BMX, music and art at the Save Southbank Weekend 4th-6th May 2013.
