Work on a Newtownabbey skate park is due to be completed by the end of the year.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has said that the work on the V36 Urban Sports Park at the Valley Leisure Centre has been given approval to commence and is what has been described as "great news for urban sports enthusiasts".
Once it is completed, the park will be one of the largest of its kind in the UK.
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Councillor Billy Webb said: “This is great news for the Borough. Urban Sports have really taken off and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the Peace IV Programme, to provide one of the biggest Urban Sports Park in the U.K.
"As a Council we are continually looking to improve and develop leisure facilities for our residents and this fantastic project is only part of a developing programme of enhancements.”
The V36 Urban Sports Park is a project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding for this project has been provided by The Executive Office, Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development, Ireland.
Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Chair of the Antrim and Newtownabbey Peace IV Partnership, Councillor Stephen Ross said: “As Partnership members we have been involved in the development of the Antrim and Newtownabbey Peace IV programme over a number of years.
"It is fantastic to now be at a stage where we are seeing projects come to life and this project will have a real impact by providing a new, accessible, shared space for our Borough.”
