THE DEMOLITION of the Westgate car park is not being mourned by many – possibly by nobody apart from a group of Parkour enthusiasts.

Oxford Parkour is a group of enthusiasts which explores public spaces in innovative ways, from shinning up walls to balancing on top of bridges.

The group, set up in May 2012, practises three times a week in more than 100 locations around Oxford – including until recently the Westgate.

President Nikolay Timofeev, 27, said seasoned pros had enjoyed the car park as a training space.

“Members of the group used to like going to the Westgate car park.

“We used to train at the car park a lot, which obviously isn’t there anymore.

“It was this big open area with a lot of different types of climbs that required you to make a leap of faith.”

Other favourite locations are St Giles, between the church and the Martyrs’ Memorial, and Roger Bacon Lane, which poses a challenge to people jumping between window ledges.

Mr Timofeev said: “Parkour is safe if you approach it right.

“It’s safer than team sports, where there’s the risk of someone sliding your ankle out and you have no control. With this, the only variable is you.”

Parkour, also known as freerunning, was developed by French teenagers about 20 years ago.

Oxford Parkour has more than 150 ‘likes’ on Facebook and about 30 active members, from eight-year-olds to people in their 40s.

Mr Timofeev, 27, a software engineer by day, lives in Didcot with wife Denise who is expecting a baby this summer.

He said the rise in interest was “inevitable” due to media coverage and the Internet.

He added: “Oxford is steady and secluded, but membership is definitely on the rise.

“It grew from a few people training together to this huge community.

“There’s a saying that no matter what city you’re in, the chances are you can find people training and crash on their floor if you need to. It’s bizarrely welcoming.

“There is no limit to who can do it. Public spaces already exist; all you need to do is go outside and find some walls.”

Alex Coote, 20, from Headington, began as a complete novice in January and said his first session was “terrifying”, but he has improved rapidly and now helps newer members.

He said: “I like Friars Wharf Bridge and the graveyard in St Giles.”

Mr Timofeev added that police had generally been supportive of the group, although they had been asked to leave after "straying" onto university premises in the past.

But Jericho and Osney city councillor Susanna Pressel, expressed reservations about the safety of the activity.

She said: “I have got huge admiration for the people doing it. I just hope they’re not doing anything dangerous.

“If it’s a publicly-owned site taxpayers could be responsible for any injuries and we don’t want them hurt."“It can cause a nuisance to residents, a bit like skateboarding in the wrong place.

“I admire their daring, but there are problems associated with it.

“If residents complained the group was too noisy we would ask them to stop doing it.”