A fluorescent skatepark opening tomorrow in Everton Park could kickstart a turnaround for this part of Liverpool.

Artist Koo Jeong A teamed up with designers Wheelscape Skateparks to create ‘Evertro’ – designed as a hybrid of an art installation and a functioning ‘wheels park’ for skaters and BMX riders.

The facility, commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and mayor Joe Anderson, is part of an ongoing regeneration project to build five skateparks across the city and draw in visitors.

‘Traditionally, Everton has a been very poor, dispossessed community and people would avoid it,’ Anderson told The Guardian. ‘This is not just a skatepark and sports hub, it is also a major piece of public art, and both of these things will draw people to this area who just wouldn’t have come here otherwise. Koo has made the park a cultural destination.’

In addition to the facility’s central bowl, ramps and BMX track, the hub also has a play area, astroturf football pitches and picnic spaces. Jeong A asked local skater and youth groups for their input when designing the complex.

Said the artist: ‘What appealed to me about this is that community members of different ages have come together to help create this project.’

‘Evertro’ is the second glow-in-the-dark skate park Jeong A has designed following her ‘Otro’ project in France’s l’île de Vassivière back in 2012.

Credit: L’Escaut Architectures