Plans to build a skatepark in Whitchurch were in tatters today after last ditch talks failed and a £30,000 cash bid was lost.
About 80 people packed an emergency town council meeting last night.
It was called by five councillors to see if a deal could be struck to help campaigners for the £100,000 skatepark avoid losing the lottery cash.
Councillor Andrew Richardson was applauded when he proposed the skatepark be built at Jubilee Park, and opponents of the plans clapped when the resolution was lost.
Next Generation Youth (NGY) will now miss out on the cash, and £40,000 from the Whitchurch Chimes development grant, because a definite site was not secured by today’s deadline.
NGY had its plans for a new skatepark thrown into disarray when councillors made a dramatic U-turn after years of support and refused permission for the development to take place in Jubilee Park.
Mark Finney, of NGY, said the council ought to be ashamed. “I’m gutted, really gutted, because the young people deserve more,” he said. “We are going to lose the lottery money. There is going to be no park and that is down to the council.”
Councillor Pauline Jones said said: “I am very proud that as citizens of this town they conducted themselves with dignity which is more than a lot of adults would have done.”
4 Comments
Shame on the old NIMBYs of Whitchurch.
Pull up the drawbridges.. watch the decline…
the town is only “home” for pensioners now…
The youths of the area can’t win can they..come up with a good idea to give them something to do rather than hanging around the shops or street corners and the council scrap it.
The councillor’s of Whitchurch are a disgrace and have lost many supporters due to this immoral act. These children were promised the skate park, what example have you shown these children. Thank you to all the councillors who stuck to there word and have supported the children throughout.
what are we to do now, we have let the children down ???????????????
we lead them up the garden path and promise them a park and right at the very last minute take it away from them. We must all as adult’s feel very ashamed.