BELEAGUERED Liss Parish Council's plans for a £29,000 state-of-the-art skate bowl on West Liss Recreation Ground have ground to a halt amid mounting pressure for a rethink. The latest call has come from the Open Spaces Society, a national society based in Henley, which has questioned the legality of the skate bowl on the recreation ground – a registered village green. General secretary Kate Ashbrook first raised the concerns of the society in August. It took the parish council three months to reply to her letter, saying they had taken the objections seriously and consulted widely. She said: "Having done so, our conclusion is that the development would comply with the legislation." But, unconvinced, the society has now told councillors it is still unhappy about the proposals and wants the parish council to re-examine an earlier proposal to site the skatepark facility on the Newman Collard playing field site. The open Spaces society's stance is the latest blow to Liss parish council, which has been dogged by criticism since it first looked at providing skatepark facilities in the village more than four years ago. In 2004, parish councillors shelved plans indefinitely after two years of talking produced little action. They had promised skateboarders they would build them a dedicated and safe facility for their sport in 2002, but two years on the promises looked hollow with plans "put on ice". The outcome of the local plan inquiry was blamed for the apparent u-turn, with councillors worried that future changes to Liss could have repercussions affecting potential skatepark sites. But the thorny subject was revisited earlier this year after a new study by parish councillor Paddy Payne's "Youth Initiative" group. And the council decided that it wanted to go ahead with a £29,000 skate bowl on West Liss Recreation Ground, subject to public consultation. There was an immediate outcry from nearby residents, who launched a petition opposing the plans. In September, councillors announced they had approved a letter which had been sent to all villagers who had written in with their comments or objections. And the parish council confirmed that an independent chairman would be brought in from outside the village to lead a public meeting this year on the proposals. But as the year draws to a close, skateboarders in Liss still look set for a long wait before they have somewhere to practice their sport. In the latest letter to the parish council from the Open Spaces Society, Nicola Hodgson told chairman Nigel Paren that she reiterated its concerns. She referred again to section 12 of the Inclosure Act l857 and section 29 of the Commons Act l876, which she believed rendered the skatepark development illegal. "Under those sections you will be aware that nothing can be done which injures the green or interrupts the use or enjoyment of the rights of the inhabitants to use the green," she told Mr Paren. "Any encroachment, erection or disturbance of the soil made otherwise, and with a view to the better enjoyment of the green, shall be deemed to be a public nuisance. "In view of the fact that these sections do not contain any saving provisions, it must, therefore, be the position that the parish council cannot lawfully authorise an act which would be a breach of the above legislation." She said it was correct to say that provision of certain facilities on a registered village green were not in breach of the sections, and these included tennis courts, cricket nets, goal posts and children's play areas, but she did not include skateparks. "It is noted that there are alternative areas to site the skatepark," said Ms Hodgson, adding that it was a "weak argument" to suggest that the recreation ground would be used because it had not been the subject of vandalism. "Experience shows that they only move from one site to another, and therefore this should not be used as a reason to discount the Newman Collard playing field site." And her view was endorsed by Ms Ashbrook, who told The Herald on Wednesday: "This is the wrong use of a village green and the skatepark should not be put there. They should be looking at places to site it." But parish council chairman Nigel Paren remained tight-lipped on the subject. "We have not taken a position as yet as a parish council," he said. "At the last meeting in December, most members had only just seen the letter. We have asked the group masterminding the project to look at it and report back to our next meeting." Mr Paren said parish councillors were taking the Open Spaces Society objection "very seriously", but added that it would be premature to give any indication of their view.
