Council leader gives skate park campaign hope (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Council leader gives skate park campaign hope

12:10pm Thursday 26th February 2009 in News By David Hemming

THE dream of giving youngsters a skate park in Bridgwater has edged closer to reality.

After last week's protest outside Sedgemoor District Council's King Square offices by the newly formed Bridgwater Skate Park campaign group, council leader Duncan McGinty told the Mercury he is hopeful a permanent facility for skaters and BMXers will be built before the end of the year.

He said funding has been set aside for two smaller micro sites in Eastover Park and Victoria Park but a bigger park for the town could still be years off.

Cllr McGinty said: “I would hope at least one of the micro sites will be available by the end of the year although consultations must first be carried out.”

A task and finish group set up by the authority has identified the Leggar Link site, a former tip, as the preferred location for the main skate park - but it could take two and five years to make this a reality.

Cllr McGinty added: “We hope to move forward as quickly as we can and the money is in place. We are also very grateful to the campaign group for providing a point of contact for us and we look forward to working with them.”

However campaign secretary Laura Costello said she was not happy with a micro site.

She said: “We want a permanent skate park and we want the council to come up with an offer of land now.”

Everybody is welcome to the protest group's next meeting at Bridgwater Town Hall on March 2 at 5pm.