More than 1,800 people have now signed a petition urging Lambeth Council to continue with its plans to restore Kennington Park’s historic skatebowl and make it safer for people to use.
A group of campaigners rallied outside Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton earlier this month as they demanded the plans to restore the local skatepark are not abandoned.
Ahead of a full council meeting on October 15, campaigners, including those from local group, Friends of Kennington Park (FoKP), were seen holding banners, placards and branded t-shirts as they chanted ‘Don’t Kill Kenny’ – a play on the famous South Park catchphrase ‘I killed Kenny’.
Campaigners say the 1970s skatebowl, known to many as ‘Kenny’, has fallen into decline and over the years has become less safe to use.
FoKP said the council did have money set aside for the work, but it is now considering withdrawing the funding from the project.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson previously told the LDRS in light of the council’s financial position, capital projects including the skate park have been paused. They said they are reviewing all projects and hope to update resident groups about them soon.
A FoKP spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We are delighted with the support our campaign has received from people in the local area.
“Over 1,800 people have signed our petition to show their support for our campaign, and we expect numbers to grow.
“The importance of the skatebowl in creating a space for the whole community – especially young people – to socialise, learn new skills and get fit, is well understood and is supported by extensive national research.”
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The spokesperson said they are in regular contact with councillors, and have asked to meet with Cllr Donatus Anyanwu, who is Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities at Lambeth.
Guy Howard-Evans, a local resident and skateboarder, previously spoke to the LDRS about the current issues the bowl is facing. He said: “It would be really handy to get the council on board and to get a rolling maintenance as well but because it’s been left to neglect, it’s just become a bit of a tip.
“There’s a lot of broken glass and no real maintenance, it’s suffered and to get it nice and safe again for all kids to use – it has to be means-tested across the board so it’s open to everybody.”
Guy said only around two-thirds of the bowl is actually skateable and it can currently only be accessed through a single entrance and exit.
Dave the Chimp, a street artist who has been skateboarding since the age of 12, called the skatebowl “unique” and said it should be repaired for skateboarding.
FoKP’s change.org petition has now amassed 1,877 signatures and has been backed by Skateboard GB, the governing body for skateboarding in Britain.
The project has been years in the making, and was scheduled to start in the summer of 2024 however FoKP says it was later told the work would begin in November of that year. As the months went on, the group says it chased the council several times for updates but did not hear back.
In July 2025, the council announced a freeze on capital spending, which has resulted in the project being halted.
FoKP fear the project is at risk of being abandoned, and that the skatebowl will be left as “an unsafe, decaying eyesore”. The group is calling on the council to return to the project and reinstate the funding, adding that lots of public money has been spent on it already.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson previously said: “In light of the council’s financial position, and our responsibility to ensure we can protect the frontline services relied on by our most vulnerable residents, capital projects across Lambeth have been paused.
“This includes the skate park, and other projects that residents across Lambeth feel very strongly about. All these projects are being reviewed, and we hope to be in a position to update resident groups about them soon.”
