Gravity Engineering Ltd has already been signed up by Wakefield Skate to build the £370,000 state-of-the-art facility within Thornes Park.

Work was planned to start in the spring, but it has taken longer than expected for skate bosses to finalise the lease from Wakefield Council, and now the park should be completed during the summer months.

After four years of planning, Wakefield Skate has found the bulk of the funding after netting £250,000 from a Big Lottery Fund grant in April 2007. The rest of the money is being provided by WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited) and Wakefield Council, who are partners in the scheme.

Ged Capper, chairman of Wakefield Skate, said: “The steering group has agreed the lease for the land and everything is now in place for the build to start and we are just waiting for confirmation of a date when this can start.

“We are all really excited about the conclusion of the project and hopefully it will be up and running some time during the summer.

“The delays have been about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s to make sure the facility is there for many years to come and we have been finalising the lease with the council.

“On behalf of the steering group, I would like to thank everyone involved, particularly the patience of those waiting for this facility to arrive.

“We understand it’s been frustrating, but the reason it has been delayed is to make sure we get the best for the money available and for the users.”

The park will be one of the biggest in the UK and will provide space for skaters of all abilities at the 200sq m facility.