13 January 2010

Press release: Permission for skatepark to be refused.

The Portishead Skatepark Project is today facing up to the likelihood that North Somerset Council will refuse to grant them a lease on land at the Lake Grounds where they hoped to develop a skatepark, ignoring the views of the Scrutiny Panel, set up to examine decisions made by Executive Members, which asked for the refusal decision to be reversed.

Jon Gething, for the project said, "We are bitterly disappointed that six years of hard work by the group supported by hundreds of young people in the town, have resulted in failure. We would like to apologise to the young people of the town, whose hopes we have raised time and time again, for the fact that we have failed to convince the five Portishead District Councillors on whom this decision rests, to let us develop a site at the Lake Grounds. We know this is the best site and would have made a superb and successful facility for the town's young and not so young bmxers, skaters and scooter riders. We are told that the Town Council have other sites that may be suitable. At present we haven't been told about these but we are very willing to sit down this week with councillors to look at any new sites and revisit the other 16 sites that we have assessed over the past six years. However we have been told that councillors will not discuss these sites with us until the Lake Grounds site has been refused."

Jon Gething went on,"Our only wish is to provide a successful new skatepark in a reasonably central location in the Town so, naturally, we are happy to work with the Town Council to find a suitable site. However, after six years, our patience and dedication has been sorely tested by the outcome of the last few weeks and if no suitable site can be found and agreed in the next three months, and the Lake Grounds has been ruled out, then we will disband the project."

8 January 2012

Radio Bristol Interview - we wouldn't fit in!

Listen again on Radio Bristol Website, Ali Vowles show 6-9am, but just go to 2.07 - 2.12 for piece about the skatepark and to hear this from Tony Lake:

"I think that the main point is about it’s a family, quiet area, or relatively quiet area, the children play there and there’s tennis and various sporting activities and it was felt particularly the noise of a skatepark and a different sort of group of people that wouldn’t necessarily fit in with the sort of family atmosphere that you get down at the Lake Grounds now. That’s the point that’s being made."

6 January 2012

Success as Scrutiny panel say decision is to be reconsidered

Deborah Yamanaka and Mark Canniford called the decision to refuse us a lease in for scrutiny. David Pasley was due to chair the panel but he decided to let his deputy do so instead. This is the information in our press release about the decision:

The plans for a new skatepark at the Lake Grounds made a major leap forward at a meeting at North Somerset Council on Friday. The decision by executive member Tony Lake to deny the project a lease on land we want to develop at the Lake Grounds was rejected by a scrutiny panel.

Jon Gething said," This project is far from dead, in fact its very much alive now after an all-party scrutiny panel with councillors from all parts of the District discussed our plans at length on Friday and decided that the decision to refuse a lease was wrong. They have asked the executive member to think again and grant the lease."

Jon added, "I believe councillors not from Portishead find it very hard to understand what all the fuss is about. They look at the evidence that we have gathered over the last six years and the fact the we have planning consent for the site, they look at the support we have from the police, the town council, and the great majority of residents and to them its a no-brainer."

We need to have a piece of land secured with planning permission before we can launch the major fund-raising campaign needed to raise the necessary funds to build and manage the skatepark. We have also promised that should the park not be successful we will fund its removal and reinstatement.

Jon Gething again,"We are very confident that this skatepark will be an outstanding success. However to overcome the objections of a few people and local councillors we are prepared to raise an extra sum of money that will be kept in reserve in event of closure. While we do not believe they will be necessary we have also agreed to install CCTV and engage with the police in a youth activity programme to address issues of anti-social behaviour. We intend the skatepark to be kept grafitti free and we will ensure that this is maintained."

The Project have asked the Executive member, Cllr Tony Lake, for a meeting when we hope to resolve all the issues involved in granting us a lease.

19 December 2011

Calling decision in for scrutiny!

We have asked some supportive councillors to 'call' this decision in for scrutiny as this is the formal route of complaint. We now have to prepare our case as to why we think it is an unjust decision. It has been 'called in' to the Scrutiny Panel below but we are not thrilled that this is chaired by David Pasley and of course it is a North Somerset Council scrutinizing it's own decision. Still there are different Councillors on the panel who don't live in Portishead, so we will remain hopeful.

Community and Corporate Organisation Policy and Scrutiny Panel

The panel's remit includes - Recreational Services, The Local Strategic Partnership, Community Safety, Crime and Disorder (in accordance with the requirements of the Police and Justice Act 2006), Public Protection Services, Corporate Organisation.

Members: Councillors

Jan Barber

Mary Blatchford (Vice-Chairman)

Chris Blades

Mark Canniford

Robert Cleland

Andy Cole

Peter Crew

Carl Francis-Pester

Bob Garner

Catherine Gibbons

David Hitchins

Tony Moulin

David Pasley (Chairman)

Marcia Pepperall

David Poole

Sonia Russé

Richard Tucker

Deborah Yamanaka

14 December 2011

Application for lease for Lake Grounds refused

Tony Lake, an Executive Member in North Somerset, has signed the Decision notice to refuse to let us have the lease for the Lake Grounds location. The wording is below. (If you want to look it up enter ‘Executive member decisions’ in the North Somerset Council search box and then click Executive Member and then November 2011. We are considering what to do next, watch this page or keep a look out on our facebook page Portishead sk8.

Portishead Skate Park - Lake Grounds, Portishead

FR64 EM - PH 14.12.11

2011/12 scheme 1

NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL DECISION DECISION OF THE EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR ASSET MANAGEMENT WITH ADVICE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & RESOURCES OF THE COUNCIL

DECISION NO: FR64 SUBJECT: PORTISHEAD SKATE PARK – LAKE GROUNDS PORTISHEAD

BACKGROUND: The Portishead Skatepark Project (PSP) submitted a planning application for the installation of a skatepark on part of the Lake Grounds, Portishead which, whilst refused by North Area Committee, was approved on appeal in November 2010. Having obtained planning permission on appeal the PSP have approached the Council for permission to lease part of the Lake Grounds for 25 years at a peppercorn rental in order to enable it to commence a programme of fundraising to raise the estimated £225,000 capital costs required to install the skatepark. Full details regarding the proposal are contained within PSP’s application for a lease. Consultation has taken place with Streets & Open Spaces and with the 6 Portishead Ward Members. The majority view from the Ward Members is that the Lake Grounds was created by the former Urban District Council as a facility for the quiet enjoyment of all residents of the town and visitors and that there is concern about the threat to this principle by the demands of individual interest groups for space to be allocated to them for their own purpose. The view was that the Lake Grounds already accommodates a wide range of users and fulfils, in its current form, the above purpose and that further development would be detrimental to that purpose. It was also felt that if this lease request is approved for another use it could lead to further demands by other local organisations for dedicated use of other parts of the Lake Grounds. In conclusion, whilst it is recognized that the Group have a genuine desire to provide a facility for this minority activity, it is considered that the Lake Grounds is not the appropriate location for it given the detrimental impact it would have on the existing use of the area.

DECISION: That officers be instructed to respond to the application received from PSP confirming that a lease will not be granted in this instance for the reasons set out above

2011/12 scheme 2

Reasons: As set out above

Other Alternatives Considered: None

Financial Implications: None

Implications for Future Years: None

Signed: .......................................... Director of Finance & Resources Dated: ………

Signed: ………… (Executive Member for Human Resources, Asset Management & Finance) Dated: ………

26 November 2011

Public consultation outside Town Council Open Day, Somerset Hall

Unfortunately we missed the deadline to have a stall at this Community event and instead decided to have a moveable display (on a bike) outside for a few hours. We asked the public for ideas of what the project should do next given the current situation of five out of six district councilors opposing our application for a lease at the Lake Grounds. The residents who came to talk to us, old and young, were almost unanimously disappointed in the local Councilors blocking the Lake Grounds location and keen to know what they could do. We handed out slips of paper with Councillors contact details on (from NSC website) so that they might write to them and we understand many did.

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