AN INDOOR skate park will be opened in Newport, city planners decided.

Officers said the facility proposed by skateboard and blading company Fear and Rolling would be a welcome addition to the city after a similar one – CJ’s Skatepark in Herbert Road - was destroyed in an arson attack last year.

They added the park, which will be built in a unit on the Leeway Industrial Estate, would have a positive impact on local physical activity and supports the Active Newport Strategy of getting “more people, more active, more often”.

The new facility is the dream of Fear and Rolling owner Tom Bowman, of Maindee, who plans to transform the 10,000sq ft space, previously used by exhibition and conference organising firm Dimension 8, into a fully equip centre.

It will have house half pipes, quarter pipes, ramps and stunt rails suitable for people of all ages and abilities.

Mr Bowman, who runs an online blading and boarding company, was spurred on to open the skatepark because he felt there was a lack of indoor space in the city.

He said indoor parks were particularly important because outdoor facilities can often not be used in the winter because rain makes them too dangerous to use.

Mr Bowman, who has been rollerblading for the past 12 years, said he had the backing of the skating community in Newport and hoped the venture will encourage more people to take up the hobby.

He also hopes it will help boost the retail side of his business, which was forced to go online last year due to rising costs.