A STORM of protest is gathering over plans for a £28,000 skate park on West Liss Recreation Ground. Last week, more than 100 villagers turned out to a public meeting in the village hall about the skate park plans. Many raised strong concerns about the proposed concrete skate-bowl. West Liss villagers have launched a campaign against the proposal this week, claiming that Liss parish councillors have already made up their minds and calling for an independent look at the plans. They are also furious that the public consultation period ends at the height of the summer holidays when many villagers will be away. And they are angry that the man behind the proposals, parish councillor Paddy Payne, is himself away on holiday during the public consultation process. They say the perfect place for the skate park would be at Newman Collard playing fields, but because of vehement opposition there, West Liss has been seen as the "easy option." Nicola Kingsley and her husband Darrell are organising a petition against the skate park and have already visited homes in Station Road and St Mary's, which border West Liss Recreation Ground. They say they have yet to find anyone who is in favour of the plans. Along with fellow villagers Gill Seymour and Richard Pearcey, the Kingsleys are leading the campaign against a plan they claim will ruin one of the last remaining attractive areas of Liss village, and lead to an increase of anti- social behaviour in Station Road, which already suffers from vandalism and rowdy behaviour. Mrs Kingsley has already written to Liss Parish Council chairman Nigel Paren, outlining her concerns. "This will not only spoil West Liss, but will also have a knock-on effect on the whole village, both socially and economically," she told him. "The parish council should be protecting and preserving this remaining rural aspect of the village, but is defacing it. £30,000 (the cost of the skate park) would go some way to improve the existing buildings on the site, which are both badly in need of repair, while replacing them could actually restore the area to its original function as the village green." Drainage problems on the land would be an added headache, Mrs Kingsley claimed. "They are going to make it very expensive to build." Developers at Sparkhams Yard, behind the site, had spent considerable time and money solving their drainage problems, she said. The villagers are also concerned about the safety and maintenance of the skate park. They say it would have to be fenced off or floodlit to eliminate the hazard to other recreation ground users. "The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents estimates it would cost £3,000 a year to maintain this and I suppose this will come out of Liss villagers' council tax along with public-liability insurance." Protesters are already concerned about late- night rowdiness and vandalism. They say Station Road residents suffer from smashed windows, their cars are targeted and they are subjected to noise late at night. "Our concern is that with the skate park, rather than just walking through, they will collect on the recreation ground and the anti- social-behaviour problem will be exacerbated," said Mrs Kingsley. In addition, the campaigners say that the road and speeding traffic would pose a danger to skate park users. The pavement is not continuous on the recreation ground side of Station Road, visibility at the access point is limited because of a large hedge and parked cars, and traffic regularly exceeds the 30 mph speed limit. "West Liss playing field is a considerable distance from the centre of the village and from where the majority of the skaters live. If you ask the skaters themselves where they would like a skate bowl, they say Newman Collard," claimed Mrs Kinsgley. Gill Seymour told The Herald she believed Newman Collard was the best place to site a skate park. " It's bigger, there are public toilets there and there are always people around. There is also a police presence closeby." Mr Pearcey added: "A lot of villagers feel it is an easy option to put the park at West Liss rather than pursue putting it on Newman Collard, but logic says that is the centre of the village." He was also unhappy about the quality of information given to villagers. "I don't consider the plans and drawings were sufficiently detailed for anyone to have any idea what was actually proposed. We should have been given construction drawings and all the costings." The campaigners are now hoping to find an independent assessor. "We want someone from outside the parish council to assess whether the councillors are truly representing the wishes of the majority of the villagers," said Mrs Kingsley. Parish council chairman Nigel Paren told The Herald that an information pack outlining the plans was available at the parish office behind the village hall. He added: "At the end of the consultation, we will be taking stock of all the points made and then deciding how to proceed." He said parish councillors would be acknowledging the letters that arrived and looking at the points raised.