A DOUBLE dose of good news was received by Bordon this week, with a fresh round of consultation starting on the proposed skateboard park and work on the new BMX track soon to begin.
Whitehill Town CouncilÕs finance and policy committee on Monday received a letter from the MoD confirming its agreement in principle to leasing land at Budds Lane for five years to the town council for a skate park.
The former tennis courts could prove to be the answer to the town councilÕs prayers, after previous potential sites were plagued by problems.
Some were unpopular with local residents while others were unavailable, not suitable, or set aside for an alternative use.
Town clerk Linda Tiley said: ÒIt has taken us a very long time to get to this point.Ó
The new offer has meant that the town council can begin consulting the nearby Bordon Infant and Junior Schools, as well as the skate park usersÕ group, to gather their views before the MoDÕs offer is officially accepted and the lease signed.
However, with fewer local residents living near the tennis courts than at other locations previously suggested, including Jubilee Park, little opposition - if any - is expected.
With the large majority of the funding secured and the plans drawn up, it is hoped that once the lease is agreed, work on the new skate park can begin later in the year.
The latest developments for the skate park coincided with the news that work on the new BMX track in Jubilee Park should begin shortly.
As Ian Dowdle, from the skate park usersÕ group, explained: ÒWe will be doing it in stages and will be testing it after each stage is complete.
ÒThat way we will end up with a track that we are happy with.
ÒI would also hope that when we finally start work on the skate park that it can be built in the same way, in stages, which will make sure that everything is all right.Ó
Hopes are high that the skate park and BMX track will become the first stage in a long-term plan to improve the townÕs facilities for young people.
On Tuesday, East Hampshire District CouncilÕs north-east area community committee will receive a report detailing the findings of the Youth Umbrella Group, which has been supporting the skate park plans.
District councillors will hear that the group, a network of more than 35 local groups in the Bordon area, has put together a realistic programme of improvement, starting with the skate park.
In the medium-term it hopes to lobby for extra sports facilities, with an entertainment complex as the groupÕs long-term aim.