RESIDENTS living close to PetersfieldÕs controversial skateboard park have this week pleaded to have it demolished or moved.
Anne Hazelton, who lives in Hoadlands, told East Hampshire district and Petersfield town councillors that the skate park affected not only her home, but all her neighbours whose homes backed onto Love Lane recreation ground.
She said she and her family were very concerned about the nuisance from the skate park.
Earlier this summer, she claimed: ÒWe could not enjoy a meal in the garden as the language from over the hedge in the skate park was so offensive and even inside the house we had to put music on to drown out the swear words.Ó
ÒAt midnight we were all again woken by the noise until the police came and then in the morning there was the noise of all the broken glass and cans being collected.Ó
Mrs Hazelton added: ÒThere is already considerably reduced privacy in the house, the obvious solution is to demolish the skate park or remove it to not such a residential area.Ó
Sympathising with the plight of neighbours, Bob Ayer told the meeting that although it looked distant from the community, the back gardens adjacent to the sports field were affected.
ÒThere is no doubt about it, there is a considerable amount of local concern and I have sympathy with the residents,Ó he added.
He said town councillors had debated the possibility of moving the skate park to a more appropriate site.
ÒBut it goes without saying that the cost of removing in effect two skate board parks, would be a bit of a shock to the budget process. But we have to put our thinking caps on and help,Ó he said.
Andrew Pattie said he believed there were two issues to consider.
ÒOne is the noise generated by the younger teenagers using the facility during the day and the second is the late-night reveller issue perpetrated by older teenagers being loud and young.Ó
He said moving the skateboard park would simply mean moving the problem, but the issue of late-night nuisance was a matter for the police.
Marjorie Day told councillors young people should not be prevented from making a noise, but councillors should rethink where they sited facilities for them.
ÒThere are places in Petersfield where this skate park could be sited without upsetting neighbours,Ó she claimed.
Guy Stacpoole suggested one such site could be the south corner of The Heath.
But chairman of Petersfield Town CouncilÕs grounds committee Brian Dutton told district councillors it was not their problem.
ÒI donÕt think this is the right forum for this debate, this is Petersfield Town CouncilÕs problem and we are trying to sort it out.Ó
Councillors were very concerned, about the nuisance being caused to neighbours, he added, but moving the skate park would cost money Òand only shift the problem from one place to anotherÓ.