BYC Skatepark

The BYC Skatepark (Brighton Youth Centre) has a unique, grassroots history compared to standard commercial skateparks. Because it is located inside a historic community center, it was built and evolved over decades through a mix of community self-building, crowdfunding, and professional local collaborations. Its construction history breaks down into three distinct phases: 1. The Grassroots Origins (Late 1990s – 2016) The skatepark originally started life over 25 years ago on the top floor of the youth centre, initially doubling as an indoor football court. Local skaters, youth workers, and volunteers would manually drag out wooden ramps on Saturdays. Over the years, local riders and DIY builders gradually modified and anchored the timber ramps to make it a permanent, dedicated wooden skatepark room. 2. The 2016 Crowd-Funded Redevelopment In 2016, BYC launched a major crowd-funding campaign (heavily supported by the local skate community and professional skater Tom Penny) to completely strip out the old, basic modular ramps and replace them with a professionally engineered, flowing timber layout. The Design Team: The layout was custom-designed and built in-house by local skate coaches, builders, and the park’s management team—led prominently by BYC Skatepark Manager Liam Teague. They maximized the tight indoor footprint by building a bespoke 4ft birch-ply mini ramp, integrated quarter-pipes, wallrides, and moveable street ledges. 3. The Modern Rebuild (2024–2025) The youth centre secured a multi-million-pound grant from the Youth Investment Fund and Brighton & Hove City Council to completely regenerate the entire 1960s building. The Architecture: Local firm Alter Architects designed the massive building overhaul, which includes a brand new, fully modernized rooftop enclosure dedicated to the skatepark on the top floor. The New Park Layout: For the layout of the newly updated facility, BYC's Liam Teague and council coordinators collaborated closely with Maverick Skateparks (the same acclaimed UK team that built the concrete plaza down at Hove Lagoon) to consult on and shape the new interior skate features.