THE final decision on where to place a youth shelter for young people to gather safely in Petersfield was set to move a step closer. It follows a public meeting which was due to be held last night (Thursday) – despite opposition from a number of groups. The project has been on the agenda for several years, but a breakthrough is imminent after the public were consulted on where they would like to see the shelter positioned. Yet some of the proposed locations have met with opposition from people who currently use the sites – including The Heath and Love Lane – who fear it will simply create an "outdoors pub" for young people. The Heath's boating and kiosk concessionaire, Ken Heppell, said: "I am absolutely against it coming down here. It's completely inappropriate for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). "I guess that's why all of The Heath stakeholders are against it, including the cricket club, the Little School by the Lake Nursery, the golf club, the fishing club, and Friends of the Heath." Mr Heppell said it would be hypocritical to place the shelter on The Heath, pointing to an East Hampshire District Council sign, on a shed by the pond, which promotes the AONB site. An extracts reads: "Wisely, the town authorities have resisted demands that would have turned it into a municipal park." Mr Heppell feared the impact on The Heath, which he said was used mainly by mums and young children. He felt a similar shelter, already erected in Haslemere, was good as it was right by the road and had no distractions, as well as a "police presence if and when they want it". Petersfield Town Football Club chairman Ian Essai feared a youth shelter at the Love Lane playing fields, next to the football club, would only add to an already existing vandalism problem. There have also been reports of parties being held in the football club stands and broken bottles are often found on the pitches used by the Town Juniors sides, he said. Mr Essai added: "With the amount of vandalism the club has incurred, and the dangers of broken bottles on Love Lane playing fields for the Town Juniors, I do not know how this youth shelter is going to resolve the fundamental issue of nothing to do for those aged 16 to 19 year olds. It seems to me we have not identified the need for those aged between 16 and 19, but we have identified a need for the 14 to 16 year olds." He said he could picture a scenario where the older youths could take over the youth shelters and intimidate the younger boys and girls. "As chairman of the town juniors football club, I am all for sports and activities for young people, but I am not in favour of the youth shelters until we have resolved the issue of finding things to do for those kids who are causing the problems." He suggested a move should be made to talk to the older groups. The Heath, Love Lane playing fields, The Avenue playing fields and Paddock Way are the main options being highlighted for the youth shelter, but the public would also have the chance to suggest other locations that could have been missed by East Hampshire District Council staff, who are working on the project. The town council's anti-social behaviour working party will analyse the comments and information gathered from the latest meeting, before taking it to a full council meeting on July 7, where they hope to come to an agreement on where to position the shelter. The town council have already agreed in principle to housing a shelter on land it owns. EHDC is also behind the project, and has gained Lottery cash to fund the project – a youth shelter with a climbing pyramid as a place for young people to meet and "hang out". Providing a location is found that the town council owns, then it is unlikely that planning permission will be needed. EHDC plans to erect four shelters throughout the district, at a cost of £11,000 each, which includes the cost of safety surfacing and the climbing frame. The other areas set to get a shelter are Horndean, Clanfield or Rowlands Castle; Whitehill and Bordon; and Alton. The proposals for the scheme came after EHDC citizenship classes in schools. EHDC community project worker Chris Patterson said: "The classes teach democracy and we see what young people would like to have in their area. The original idea for the youth shelters was something that came from the young people." Petersfield town councillor Hilary Ayer said: "In Petersfield, we have the King's Arms (youth club), which is absolutely fantastic, but it is not what all kids want. They want somewhere to meet their friends and hang out and have a natter together." Mrs Ayer is part of the town council's anti-social behaviour working party, which has discussed the youth shelters with the police. She added: "From the police point of view, we do get a lot of kids gathering in The Square, which can be intimidating for other people. They are also surrounded by pubs, which is not the right environment for them. "A youth shelter gives them somewhere to go. The police want it somewhere they can clearly observe, so they can drive around in their cars and make sure nothing untoward is going on. They would not want to interfere, but make sure the young people are safe and that they feel safe. "The proposed shelter is a bit like a bandstand – circular but with open sides, therefore people can keep an eye on them." Mrs Ayer pointed out the need for the shelter to be in an open space, to prevent trouble. She said: "Vandalism at the cricket club has been vastly reduced since they cleared the shrubs at Heath Road East. "I hope a lot of young people will be at the meeting to give their opinions. It is about time we asked the young people what they wanted." With consultation ongoing for the other three sites in the district, Mrs Ayer said: "It might be another first for Petersfield."
