A DIVISIVE row erupted at Petersfield Town Council this week as plans to provide three youth shelters continued to build momentum. It is thought installing the shelters at strategic points around the town would both drive down anti-social behaviour and give young people a place to meet. But as the scheme went under the microscope at Tuesday night's full council meeting, grounds committee chairman Chris Jenner stormed out of the Festival Hall debating chamber. Others said the shelters would merely invite more vandalism and lead to "nimbyism" from residents near the proposed sites. Linda Daubney told the meeting: "I am very sad that you actually believe that this is going to solve your problem. "I recently watched a programme on under-age drinking. Most of it was shot around a youth shelter. "I feel you are expecting a lot of it and you may be disappointed." Originally, three areas were to be selected from The Heath, Love Lane, The Avenue playing fields and Borough Road recreation ground. But members have now decided all council-owned land should be considered, including a site next to the Heath play area. But that idea was criticised by Brian Dutton, who said it would result in yet more urbanisation and would lead to a backlash from neighbouring homeowners. He told his colleagues: "I propose that the Heath be removed from this process. I do not believe that the youth shelters should be built on the Heath, and we have discussed this many times. "It is more urbanisation. They can't go deep into the Heath and if you have them along the edges, we will have problems with the residents who live nearby." Yet more opposition came from Mr Jenner, who highlighted problems at a similar shelter scheme in Haslemere. The designated meeting point, he said, had not had the desired effect and had led to an increase in petty crime. He said: "Haslemere has installed one where once there was minor, sporadic naughtiness. Now it has escalated many, many times." He added that when Petersfield's young skateboarders had been asked about such a scheme they had disapproved, saying it would invite an unruly element to hang around the Love Lane skate park. "The police put youth shelters in places where they know people are going to be, but a lot of young people don't like the idea." Up to £20,000 has already been set aside from the town council's capital funds to pay for the project. And more funds can be accessed by applications to outside bodies and money set aside through planning deals. It is a scheme strongly supported by Petersfield Police sergeant Paul Bromell, who attended the meeting. He told members: "A lot of young people congregate in the town centre. The problem we have is where to direct these youths to. "As far as locations, I don't see that as being the police's role, but the factors I would be looking for would be accessibility and places the young people have an affinity with." Hilary Ayer added that as Petersfield Town Council did not own The Square, it could not make a decision to install a shelter there. She said: "One of the main purposes of having a youth shelter is that it is a safe meeting place for young people. And other people feel safe because the young people can be seen." Members voted 5-4 in favour of a scheme in principle, and to begin consultation. • After the meeting, town council grounds chairman Mr Jenner explained to The Herald that he felt he had been "circumnavigated" and "by-passed" during talks over the shelter proposals. He said he left Tuesday's meeting after it became clear his committee was not going to be included in the consultation process. And he argued that since the shelters were due to be put on town council-owned land, the matter was relevant for discussion at the grounds committee. But his proposal to bring it to his committee was overturned by fellow councillors, who voted in favour of consultation starting with Hilary Ayer's anti-social behaviour working party.
