WHITEHILL Town Council this week announced the closure of the Budds Lane skatepark following a spate of vandalism.

Although the facility is due to be demolished, with a new skatepark set to open this summer, the council said the decision to close it early had “not been taken lightly”.

The continuity of facilities is said to be a key concern - councillors and stakeholders often insist that existing infrastructure is not discontinued until replacements are up and running.

However, due to the costly repairs needed to maintain the old skatepark, the council has decided it simply is not viable.

In a statement, the town council explained that it had “been left with no choice other than to close the skatepark to the public and secure the immediate area”.

This came as the “equipment has been left in a dangerous condition, which poses an unacceptable level of risk to anyone using the facility”.

“The council regret having been forced to take this course of action,” the statement added. “However, by the end of July the brand new facility, currently under construction, will be opening, and it is not financially viable to undertake costly repairs, especially as the existing site will be removed.”

The council, which has been closely monitoring the condition of the facility, went on to apologise to skatepark users for any inconvenience caused.

In response to public comments, town clerk Andrea Mann clarified the position of Whitehill Town Council.

“At a council meeting, on June 19, the council adopted a zero-tolerance approach to graffiti for the new facility and will consider whether to permit street art by inviting designs after six months,” she said.

“The current facility is damaged and also littered on a daily basis, including hazardous litter such as bonfires and glass.

“Whitehill Town Council does not manage the entire Budds Lane Playing Field.

“Work will begin on site this summer for the new Mill Chase Academy school. The site will be closed to the public, from the end of July, and handed over to Hampshire County Council.

“The council works closely with regeneration organisations and authorities to tackle local issues.

“Any concerns received by the council which are not the council’s responsibility, are referred to the appropriate organisation.”

This comes after councillors considered how to deal with vandalism and graffiti at the new facility. The fear is that it too will be subjected to damage and, while there was talk of inviting street artists to work on the new skatepark in the future, councillors decided an outright ban was a better policy in the short term.

Both the town council and the Deadwater Valley Trust see a steady stream of damage to public property, particularly during warmer seasons. This ranges from petty vandalism to arson, with many thousands of pounds of public money spent on repairs.

Such destruction would be increasingly galling if inflicted on new facilities provided as part of the town’s regeneration.

Deadwater Valley Trust senior countryside ranger Jamie Cummins told the Bordon Herald that the nature reserve had been “fairly quiet” recently, except two heathland fires in April.

However, the Bordon Inclosure, which has seen “a lot of vandalism and anti-social behaviour”, is a different story.

There has been “lots of spray painting and graffiti on infrastructure”, such as benches, noticeboards, and artwork, as well as campfires with “the tents thrown onto the fire”.

Mr Cummins also reported “lots more litter including alcohol and drugs”, and “people walking around with air rifles”.

In an agenda report, the town council explained the impact this anti-social behaviour has on the local community and how it aims to respond.

It said: “The quality of the local environment has a significant impact on people’s perceptions of wellbeing and quality of life.

“The council is committed to improving the environmental quality of Whitehill and Bordon and to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

“Graffiti is an all too frequent fact of everyday life. In highly visible areas such as streets, town centres and open spaces, graffiti has a great impact on the public and their perception of the area.

“The cost of graffiti is twofold - the financial cost of removing and enforcing it and the cost to the local community.

“Whitehill Town Council adopts a zero-tolerance approach to graffiti on council-owned and managed property.”

The town council pledges to “remove racist, abusive and offensive material” within five working days of notification to the council.

“Non-offensive material”, which is present on council property, will be removed within 30 working days of notification.

The town council warned that offences will be reported to the police and, where sufficient evidence is gained, perpetrators may be prosecuted under the Criminal Damages Act 1971.

* Anyone witnessing any form of vandalism in the Whitehill and Bordon area is asked to contact the Hampshire Constabulary on 101.