SKATEBOARDERS have come up with a £100,000 plan to provide state-of-the-art facilities in Petersfield which could put the town on the sporting map.

With the backing of Petersfield police sergeant Rhona Anderson, 19-year-old Jason Hurd from Langrish has presented plans to improve and enhance current facilities at the Love Lane skate park.

He handed copies of the designs to the town council's grounds committee on Thursday night of last week. asking for the backing of councillors and for financial help from the £36,000 developers' contributions purse which has been allocated for public open space projects in the town.

Jason told councillors the current facilities had at one time been recognised for their excellence at international level, but the metal and wood structure was now out of date and dangerous.

He presented two sets of plans for enhanced facilities at Love Lane in a new material which, he said, had been developed by world-class skaters. It was, he told councillors, less noisy, safer because it never became hot from friction, designed to be 'anti-glare', and could not be covered in graffiti because everything washed off it.

He told the committee a group of young skaters were prepared to set up an organised group with a proper constitution to take responsibility for the equipment, and that already sports companies had shown an interest in promoting competitions from a recognised skate park.

But all plans had so far stalled because suppliers would not deal with the youngsters, even to give prices or discuss designs.

Sgt Anderson told councillors the youngsters wanted to make the facilities "bigger and better".

She said the BMXers, the skateboarders and the roller bladers had joined forces and were prepared to form a special group to take the plans forward.

"Basically we would like to progress this as soon as possible and we would like permission to use developers' contributions," she told the committee.

"It is important that the young people of Petersfield are valued and respected for being responsible people," she said, adding that people from the age of eight to 44 used the current facilities.

"Everyone at the skate ramp has been very good in policing themselves, even picking up litter," said Sgt Anderson, adding that the problems at Love Lane had subsided as a result.

Jason's presentation came in the same week that town council contract manager Peter Jones expressed grave doubts about the safety of the present facilities in Love Lane.

In his report to members of the grounds committee last week, he said: "Quite apart from the seemingly high ongoing costs of maintenance, I am becoming increasingly concerned at the general condition of this equipment and have fears regarding the stability of the wooden structure, which appears to be deteriorating at an alarming rate".

He asked them: "If this equipment has a reduced and limited life span is it justifiable to continue to spend more and more on its upkeep?"

The committee was told that there was £36,000 in the developers' contributions account for Petersfield, and a further £15,000 in the budget earmarked for play equipment which had not been allocated.

Chairman of the committee Chris Jenner said: 'It would appear that vandalism in Love Lane has tailed off partly as a result of police activity and partly through the self-policing of Jason and the skateboarding group.

"If these youngsters want us to help, we have to work hand in hand with them."

"We have one of the best heaths in the south, the best hall, and so why shouldn't our young peoples' facilities be right up there as well?"

He told councillors: "Young people are traditionally not organised, and yet they have come to the council in a organised way, and I think we should applaud them."

He asked the committee to retain £20,000 of its developers' contributions to put towards the skate park project. He said it would show the council's support and allow the group to start their project which could then added to year by year.

Bob Ayer warned: "One thing is for sure, if developers' contributions are going to be used, it will blow all other items out of the water".

He said he believed the council should also look at external funding, and he warned Sgt Anderson: "I don't believe we can meet the timescale you have in mind, we have to do some serious costings and we have to ask about the existing facilities".

Julie Butler urged the skateboarders to involve the Petersfield and District Sports Council.

"We can be the voice you say people won't listen to at the moment," she said.

And she said it was important to form a recognised group: "You must show you are being proactive".

The committee is to recommend to full council that £20,000 of developers' contributions should be retained for the project.