How much does a pump track cost?
A budget planner for UK parish and town councils. Choose the options that fit your site to get an indicative range, then see how it compares with 13 published council projects.
Breakdown
| Item | Cost range |
|---|---|
| New asphalt track 240m at £200–£330 a metre | £48,000 – £79,200 |
| Build cost | £48,000 – £79,000 |
| Contingency, 10% Recommended. Liss finished about 8% over budget. | £5,000 – £8,000 |
| Budget to set aside | £53,000 – £87,000 |
| Maintenance Every year after it opens | £1,000 a year |
How this estimate works
The ranges are indicative. They are based on 13 published UK council projects from 2020 to 2025, and they are not a quote. A builder will price your site properly after visiting it.
The track
- New asphalt track
- £200–£330 a metre
- Design and build, including groundworks. Ellesmere Town Council awarded £60,000 ex VAT for a 240m track: £250 a metre.
- Resurface or redesign
- £100–£180 a metre
- Okehampton Town Council awarded £49,991.36 ex VAT to redesign and resurface its 300m track: about £167 a metre.
Your site
- Needs drainage work
- +12% on the track
- Our assumption. A ground survey sets the real figure.
- Slope or poor access
- +25% on the track
- Our assumption. Earthworks and machinery access add the most.
Extras
- CCTV
- £4,500–£6,000
- Liss Parish Council paid £5,175 in 2023.
- Access path
- £5,000–£15,000
- Our assumption. Depends most on the distance from the road or car park.
- Seating, bins and signage
- £2,000–£5,000
- Our assumption, for two or three benches, bins and a rules sign.
Allowances
- Contingency
- 10% of the build
- Liss Parish Council finished about 8% over its £100,000 budget.
- Maintenance
- £1,000 a year
- Suppliers advised Salisbury City Council to allow around £10,000 over ten years.
Not included: planning fees, lighting, fencing, surveys, and professional fees if you appoint a separate designer.
Real UK projects
13 pump track projects published by UK councils, from tender notices, contract awards and council papers. Each figure links to its source. Checked September 2026.
| Council | Year | Amount | Amount on a £0 to £200,000 scale | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Parish Council Bolton, Cumbria | 2020 | Budget or estimate: £45,000 inc VAT (maximum) |
Design and build of a village pump track near Appleby, including preparing and submitting the planning application. |
|
| Okehampton Town Council Okehampton, Devon | 2025 | Contract awarded: £49,991.36 ex VAT |
Redesign and asphalt surfacing of an existing BMX track of about 300m that was built in the early 2000s. |
|
| Halwell and Moreleigh Parish Council Halwell, Devon | 2024 | Budget or estimate: About £50,000 (estimate) |
Village pump track paid for through crowdfunding, money from local development and grants, which opened in March 2025. |
|
| Ellesmere Town Council Ellesmere, Shropshire | 2025 | Contract awarded: £60,000 ex VAT |
Design and build of an asphalt track about 240m long and 1.5m wide on Berwyn View recreation ground. |
|
| West Monkton Parish Council West Monkton, Somerset | 2025 | Contract awarded: £69,575 ex VAT |
Asphalt track with about 150m of riding surface plus a 172m stone access path at Hyde Park Sports Ground, Bathpool. |
|
| City of Doncaster Council Doncaster, South Yorkshire | 2025 | Budget or estimate: £69,600 ex VAT (estimate) |
Design and build of an all-ages track in Highfield Country Park, Woodlands, for bikes, scooters, skateboards and inline skates. |
|
| Petworth Town Council Petworth, West Sussex | 2025 | Budget or estimate: £70,000 district council funding |
District council money first set aside for a skatepark, released for a pump track on farmland, subject to planning permission. |
|
| City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Bradford, West Yorkshire | 2025 | Contract awarded: £79,995 |
Design and build of a pump track at Springfield Recreation Ground, with reinstatement of the surrounding ground. |
|
| Cambridgeshire County Council March, Cambridgeshire | 2025 | Contract awarded: £100,000 |
Turning a flat field at West End Park into a dirt and asphalt track, finished with a RoSPA inspection. |
|
| Ribble Valley Borough Council Longridge, Lancashire | 2025 | Contract awarded: £100,000 |
Two-metre-wide track at Kestor Lane Recreation Ground for bikes, scooters, skates, skateboards and wheelchairs, with planting around it. |
|
| Liss Parish Council Liss, Hampshire | 2023 | Contract awarded: £108,087.82 incl. CCTV |
Parkitect V4 modular track at West Liss Recreation Ground; the total includes groundworks, shipping and CCTV. |
|
| Oakley and Deane Parish Council Oakley, Hampshire | 2025 | Budget or estimate: £150,000 budget |
Consultation, design and build of an all-ability track replacing a 19-year-old BMX track on a site of about 2,750m² at Beach Park. |
|
| Wellington Town Council Wellington, Somerset | 2025 | Budget or estimate: Up to £180,000 (estimate) |
Full-size asphalt track of about 200m plus a footpath at Wellington Recreation Ground, partly paid for with Section 106 money. |
“Contract awarded” means money was committed to a supplier. “Budget or estimate” covers budgets, funding allocations and maximum prices set in tenders. Amounts are as published; most exclude VAT.
Ways councils have paid for it
Most of the projects above combined two or three sources. Each one below is paired with a council that used it.
-
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Closed
Government money given to district and unitary councils (and mayoral authorities) to spend on local priorities, including community spaces. It has now closed: the final 2025-26 allocations could only pay for activity up to 30 September 2026. From April 2026 it was replaced by the Local Growth Fund, which goes only to 11 mayoral authorities in the North and Midlands, and the Pride in Place programme for selected neighbourhoods, so ask your district council's funding officer whether any successor money reaches your area.
Closed: no UKSPF money for activity after 30 September 2026. Replaced by the Local Growth Fund (11 mayoral areas only) and Pride in Place (selected neighbourhoods).
Official guidance on UK Shared Prosperity Fund (opens in a new tab)
£60,000
Longridge put £60,000 of UKSPF money, given through Ribble Valley Borough Council, towards its £100,000 track. (opens in a new tab) -
Section 106 and developer contributions
When developers get planning permission they often have to pay towards local facilities through a Section 106 agreement, and some of that money is set aside for play and sport. Your district or unitary council holds it, so ask its Section 106 or planning obligations officer what is unspent near you and what it can be used for. If your area charges the Community Infrastructure Levy, your parish also receives 15% of receipts from local development (25% with a neighbourhood plan), which Liss used to cover a £6,831 overspend.
Official guidance on Section 106 and developer contributions (opens in a new tab)
~£50,000
Wellington Town Council could use nearly £50,000 of Section 106 money towards a track estimated at up to £180,000. (opens in a new tab) -
District council grants
District and borough councils often hold money for sport, play or community facilities, sometimes set aside years earlier for a project in your town that never went ahead. Ask your district ward councillor and the council's leisure or community grants team what is available and whether it can be moved to a pump track. Releasing it usually needs a cabinet or committee decision, so allow time.
£70,000
Chichester District Council released £70,000 to Petworth for a pump track in February 2025, money first set aside for a skatepark. (opens in a new tab) -
Landfill and environmental funds
Varies by area
Landfill site operators can pass part of their landfill tax to community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund, which is paid out by local funders such as county environmental trusts. Most projects need to be within about 10 miles of a landfill site, and each funder sets its own rules and deadlines. Entrust, which regulates the scheme, has a search tool to find funders for your area.
The Lancashire Environmental Fund has since closed to new applications; other landfill funds, such as the SUEZ Communities Fund, remain open in eligible postcodes.
Official guidance on Landfill and environmental funds (opens in a new tab)
£40,000
Longridge got £40,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund towards its £100,000 track. (opens in a new tab) -
National Lottery Community Fund
Open
National Lottery Awards for All England gives grants of £300 to £20,000 for projects lasting up to two years, and town and parish councils can apply. Bigger requests take longer to decide, so do not count on a lottery decision to fill a gap in your budget.
Awards for All England open, £300 to £20,000 (checked September 2026).
Official guidance on National Lottery Community Fund (opens in a new tab)
£53,000 bid
Liss Parish Council applied to the National Lottery for £53,000; while it waited, the council planned as if the bid would fail. (opens in a new tab) -
Crowdfunding
A crowdfunding page lets residents and local businesses pledge money online, often in return for rewards donated by local shops and cafes. It works best as one part of a wider funding mix, and a strong response is good evidence of local support for other funders.
£20,500
Halwell and Moreleigh raised £20,500 from 139 supporters in 56 days towards a track costing about £50,000. (opens in a new tab)
Before you go out to tender
What recent council tenders asked for. Tick items off as you write your brief, or copy the list into your own document. Your ticks are saved in this browser only.
Common questions
How much does a pump track cost in the UK?
A new asphalt pump track for a village or small town has typically cost £60,000 to £100,000. Ellesmere Town Council awarded £60,000 ex VAT for a 240m track in 2025, and the track at March cost £100,000. Larger schemes cost more: Oakley and Deane Parish Council set a £150,000 budget, and Wellington Town Council estimated up to £180,000.
How much does a pump track cost per metre?
New asphalt tracks have cost roughly £200 to £330 a metre, including design and groundworks. Ellesmere's 240m track works out at £250 a metre. Redesigning and resurfacing an existing track costs less, about £100 to £180 a metre: Okehampton Town Council awarded £49,991.36 ex VAT for its 300m track, about £167 a metre.
Can a parish or town council reclaim the VAT?
Most parish and town councils can reclaim the VAT they pay on a project like this, which is why tenders are usually priced excluding VAT. Check with your clerk or responsible financial officer before you set the budget.
How much does a pump track cost to maintain?
Allow about £1,000 a year. Suppliers advised Salisbury City Council to budget around £10,000 over ten years. Ask bidders to include a maintenance plan in their tender.
How do councils pay for a pump track?
Usually from several sources. Longridge combined £60,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with £40,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund. Wellington Town Council could use nearly £50,000 of Section 106 money, Chichester District Council released £70,000 for Petworth, and Halwell and Moreleigh Parish Council raised £20,500 through crowdfunding. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund has now closed, so check what has replaced it in your area.