Wait for Whitchurch skate park may soon be over
A £45,000 skate park could finally be built in Whitchurch more than seven years after money was first set aside for it.
Plans for the skating area, earmarked to be built in Jubilee Park in Whitchurch, have been supported in principle by Whitchurch Town Council. Further investigations will be carried out to develop concrete plans in the coming months.
More than £16,000 of the cost of the skate park is expected to be met by a fund which was set aside by members of the former Next Generation Youth group for a skate park scheme seven years ago.
Councillor Gerald Dakin, Shropshire councillor for Whitchurch South, said: "We'd like to build a skate park for the youngsters in Whitchurch and the surrounding area.
"This is an idea that was first mentioned around seven or eight years ago.
"At the time I opposed that application because I felt what was proposed was too big for the area.
"This plan is far better and I know there are a lot of youngsters in Whitchurch who want it, the demand is definitely there.
"This will be a more modest park cut into the natural curves and banks of the park. It won't be too over-bearing."
Councillor Dakin said he expects that the skate area would be between 100 and 120 square metres and said the town council will apply for grants to help fund it.
He said: "I'm now going to push very hard to make sure this becomes a reality.
"We have £16,000 set aside from when this idea was first mentioned seven or eight years ago.
"More work is needed and we need to carry out a full examination of the park.
"The town council has only agreed in principle so once we get the go ahead to move forward we can do a consultation so the youths in Whitchurch get exactly what they want."
Councillor Dakin said that a site at Sir John Talbot's Technology College, in Whitchurch, had also been considered for the skate park scheme but this site would need approval from the Government because it would take away play space used by the youngsters at the school.
