New Bike Park Plan

BikeParkNooB

Greetings bike radar;

I have a challenge for you;

I know I'm new here but please, disregard my Green Skin, and help a fellow biking junkie?

This is the thing;

I have recently been discussing with local business owners, government officials, and fellow riders about building a new bike park in town.

We currently have the land (about 100 acres) equipment, labor, and ambition...
but what we NEED is Money!! of course

So, I have volunteered to write up a formal Business Plan that will help generate Funding;

Unfortunately I am a bit overwelmed by the logistical aspects of the planning....most notably the COSTS>

This is where YOU ALL come in;
Anyone out there know how, or been apart of building such a Bike Park?

So far, the park is looking to be a "Hybrid" of sorts. A pumpTrack, Singletrack, Downhill, Cyclocross, etc.....

Soooo, my questions are;


1: How BIG is an "average sized" Park?
* IN AREA??
* How many Trails?

2: How LONG will it take to build
* How many workers will it take? #
(assuming we use BOTH man and machine power)

3. What MATERIALS will be used?
* What kind of "Trail Base" did you use, and HOW MUCH?
* Lumber? (what kinds; how much)
* Other?


4. Parking/ Bathrooms?


5. How MUCH was the overall cost? (MOST IMPORTANT)


I realize that all of this inforamtion is Extremely relative to our own Specific situation and a number of different variables, but a "GENERAL" idea is all am looking for.

Also, I am Not really looking for any info about HOW TO BUILD, but rather HOW MUCH IT COSTS...


Again, ANY information you'd be willing to share would be greatly appreciated and will be put to good use.

An eager crew of local Mountain Bikers thanks you,



Cheers,

cat_with_no_tail

Welcome.

Sorry to come straight back with a certain amount of negativity, but I think your question is far to vague to get any sort of useable information from anyones responses.

When you look at what you're trying to do, and look at the number of variables involved, it's quite simply impossible for anyone to give you an indication of cost. I know you said you're only looking for a "general" ideal of the cost, but it varies so massively it's like £1m-£50m.

1. There is no such thing as an average sized park. They are all unique in some way, and use the available area in different ways to maximize what they have. You could have a large area with say, 30km of spread out trails, or a small area with 30km of tight, twisty trails.
I'd also say it mainly depends on the geographical features of the landscape you're using. Wooded, rocky, open farmland, loamy, what's the natural drainage like, what's access like, space for parking etc.

2. How long is a piece of string.
Depends on the type of trails you are building, how much drainage you have / need to put in, how much woodwork you'll need to put in, how many bodies you have, how long the trails are. Remember they'll most likely need to be approved by some sort of "elf and safety" bod too.

3. Depends on what you want. Look at the existing trail centres, depending on their location and what the natural properties of the land are, they all use different materials.
I'd say it's always a good idea to try and keep the trails in keeping with the natural surroundings. You want them to blend in as much as you can. Nobody will approve something that's going to be a massive blight on the countryside/forest.

4. Depends where it is. Look at lee quarry for example, people just park in the surrounding areas, because there is plenty of parking available, and they provide no facilities. Llandegla have a massive carpark, because it's relatively in the middle of nowhere, and provide every conceivable amenity known to mankind.

What you want is to get a proper, professional trailbuilder involved. Someone who does it for a living.
They'll be able to answer most of those questions, but they'd actually have to see the site first. And it'll cost you for the consultation.

anj132

Really? :roll:

Not sure if this even a serious question or a wind up but anyway it's beats working...

Is going to be a park open to the public? Is there going to be a fee to use the park or FOC? Either way H&S will need to be looked at, insurance, maintenance costs, parking, planning permission. What is Joe Public breaks his arm? A lot more than just building it and opening it and chucking in a porta-loo. Different aspects have different costs. Surely questions any serious backer will also ask.

It comes across as if you aren't looking at the full picture, you say you have the equipment and labour - I take this is some volunteers - what happens if they get bored half way through? Are they going to maintain it too? How do you think it would be sustainable? Can it be run a community project? Is it for profit? Perhaps you have the answers to this but it doesn't come across this way.

Best bet - go and research actual parks yourself and find out as much about them as possible and then go and ask the park owners themselves - you might be suprised and get some answers but go prepared after doing some real research. Community project - ask other similar community projects (not just biking relating ones) to see how they financed it and if it does get going, get a good accountant on board.

There might be others with more helpful information, but my advice is go speak to actual parks themselves to really understand what is needed.

I don't mean to come across negative and I really wish you the best in succeeding but I'm trying to make sure you understand where you are going with this.

(after writing this and seeing what CWNT wrote - yeah what he said )

Briggo

I call shenanigans!

Asking mountain bikers how much it will cost to build a toilet? Yeah ok.

Anonymous

Chances are, even if you have official backing and approval, the Bobble Hats will be on your case once it's up for planning permission and will get shot down. Is it green field, are there any footpaths remotely near the land at all, any wildlife in the area?

Take a look at the fuss over Plymbridge Woods proposed trails by the Nat Trust. Just google it and also check out the planning stuff - http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/planningonli ... /01254/FUL

Not a bike park, but gives you an idea of what you could be up against. In this case the Nat Trust owns/manages the land. Still the Bobble Hats / NIMBYs kicked up a massive fuss (some from their expensive houses that border on the land).

If it's a brown field site then you may be okay. Still, look up Esher X / Shore and see what happened there, though there I don't think they owned the land but they had permission for years.

Regardless of these issues though, there are some interested documents if you dig into the planning application of that Plymbridge one which has some detailed stuff about trail building. Worth a look especially if you're just at the stage of thinking you just need a bunch of guys and a digger.

Another route, and one some places take, is make it private. Private land, private park, people pay to get entry and ride there with payment going towards maintenance and insurance with a waiver they have to sign that says it's all at their own risk. e.g. See Aston Hill and a number of other little private parks and jump areas about the country do similar.

anj132

Have a look at http://www.woodlandriders.com for also ideas about a private park.

Anonymous

Yep, good example. And also check out http://www.imba.org.uk/

Rushmore

If I was you I would be asking this lot for this amount of information..

I'd be asking people like landscapers and other trail centres...

It also depends who the Park is aimed at, 100 acres isn't really that big for an xc type affair. but an "XC" type affair would also be the cheapest option as it would need the least landscaping...

What the land like at the minute and also, what area are you planning to do this in??

MrGeebs

wheres the new park intended to be, which part of the UK?

Anonymous

Don't think we'll get an answer.

Thewaylander

And also what do you mean by bike park?

Like a gravity park in a whistler style which the UK doesn't really have yet(though one planned in wales) or do you mean a trail center like Afan or Cwm Carn

dan shard

Forgive me if this sounds rude, but you are asking some pretty fundamental questions about a sizeable project...and youre asking them on a mountain biking public forum?? Are you sure this is something you should be taking on? It certainly doesnt sound like you have done enough / any research into it!

cooldad

That's what happens when a bunch of guys smoke herbal cigs on a Friday night.

Pufftmw

Each bike park is different, from the multi-million pound forestry jobbies to other private ventures. There is a wealth of information on the web (google is your friend) including BPs of a number of bike parks/trail centres throughout the UK. Also search on "how to do business plans" or somesuch for info on what is needed.

Another good place to approach are the experts within the UK Trail building industry but although they may give guidance, at the end of the day they are commercial so want paying - Dafyd Davies, Rowan Sorrell and Phil Saxena spring to mind but are not the only ones.

As a guide though, Blessingbourne, designed by Phil Saxena cost £268K.

The cost of actual trail itself can be budgeted at between £30-£80 per meter, so 1km is between £30K & £80K. Depending on layout & natural features etc, you could probably expect to get between 8-10km of trail within your 100 acres (maybe more, maybe less). Obviously if you have labour (skilled?) then that may reduce the costing but as soon as you start "building" trails as in paying for aggregate, drainage, timber etc, then the costs will rise.

I'm currently puttting together similar info for a BP for my project in Donegal, Ireland, for a site of about 60 acres.