After two years of talking, several mooted sites and endless promises to the young people of Liss, parish councillors have shelved plans for a skate park indefinitely.

In 2002 Liss Parish Council promised skateboarders they would build them a dedicated and safe facility for their sport.

Two years on, those promises looked hollow as plans to build the £28,000 skate park were "put on ice".

In a brief statement to a Liss Parish Council meeting earlier this week, chairman Jim Duckham said: "After taking soundings from most parish councillors it is with regret that Liss Parish Council has to announce that it is putting on ice its present schemes for a skate park".

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 skate park sites.

Mr Duckham added: "LPC feel that it would be imprudent to try to progress this skateboard facility until the results of the local plan inquiry are made public and the final approval given, which is likely to be well into next year".

But Mr Duckham did reiterate the council's intention. "LPC has not lost its ambition to provide additional facilities for the village," he said.

In November 2002 the council identified two potential sites for the park, one at the West Liss Recreation Ground and one at the Newman Collard Playing Fields, next to the school.

But within weeks the plans had met with stiff opposition from residents, setting the tone for future consultation.

The council pushed ahead with plans to site the park on the Newman Collard Playing Fields, but by April 2003 three sites were back in the running: West Liss Recreation Ground, Liss Forest Recreation Ground and Newman Collard Playing Fields.

Following further public meetings a skate park committee was established to carry out more consultation.

By June, a site next to the school, on Newman Collard Playing Fields, was the preferred choice of councillors, despite continued opposition from Pophole Farm residents.

That site fell by the wayside again after fears were raised that skateboarders would distract footballers and could be hit by the ball.

The saga continued to roll on, with councillors adamant a skate park would be built. But no sooner was a site suggested than neighbouring residents descended on the council in protest. There were even calls for a public referendum.

Such was the interest in the issue that Liss Parish Council had to move its monthly meetings to the village hall to accommodate members of the public.

As councillors continued with their mission to please everyone the net was cast further afield. The last site to be considered was private land at Brows Farm near the A3. The advantages of this site were its distance from existing homes and the accessibility via a public footpath.

But again there was opposition, this time from the West Liss Residents' Association, concerned about the "urbanisation" of the countryside.

No decision was made on that site, but this week's bombshell appeared to have ended any hopes that a park would be built within the next year.

And for the foreseeable future skateboarders in the village will have to continue to travel to facilities in Liphook or Petersfield.