Review of Three Sites for Portishead Skate Park Group
1. Introduction
I have been asked by Portishead Skate Park Group to comment on three sites which have been suggested for the siting of a wheeled activity insitu-concrete park. I am a qualified landscape architect with my own private practice and I have been involved in skate park design for 10 years. Four of the skate parks I have designed have been constructed and one, in Abergavenny, is presently out to tender.
Since the success of the first skate park I designed, in Yate I have been involved with over fifteen sites in the south and south west of the country. Apart from skate park design I am involved with landscape schemes throughout the south west and Midlands; including parks, environmental improvement schemes, town squares and mixed use developments and I am currently working for North Somerset Council on the Weston Promenade project
2. Portishead Health Centre, Wyndham Way
Fig 1. Google Earth photo with the site bordered in red
The proposed site is next to Portishead Health Centre and adjoins the main A369, Wyndham Way leading to the M4. The site is extremely low lying and the vegetation on the site is typical of marshland. Although central and easily accessible, the site has, what I consider to be, insurmountable problems with achieving adequate drainage and its close proximity to the health centre (the skate park would be only metres away from the corner of the building). There are also justifiable safety concerns with its proximity to the busy main road.
3. Old Putting Green, Esplanade Road
Fig. 2 Google Earth photo with the OS bas map overlaid and an indicative skate park layout located on the site and distances to the nearest properties shown
The site is in close proximity to the outside swimming pool, on the other side of Esplanade Road. The former putting green is triangular in shape, approximately 150m long and 40m wide at the top, nearest Battery Lane, and it is 5m wide at its narrowest. It slopes from Battery Lane towards the Severn.
The site has the advantage of being close to the open air pool and it could potentially attract families to come to the area and use both the skate park and the pool and its facilities. Unfortunately I feel the disadvantages of the site outweigh this advantage. The site is far too close to the residential properties which border the site. There are three properties which will be affected by the skate park and the proposal is likely to receive strong local opposition . The opposition from residents usually stems from their perceptions of a skate park, which are often unfounded. They anticipate congregations of noisy and badly behaved youth and high noise levels from the use of the skate park. The level of noise for an insitu-concrete skate park is relatively low and although the skate park will attract young people noise levels are generally not high. With this site the nearest houses curtilage is potentially less than 20 metres from the apron of the skate park and the residents will have genuine concerns which will threaten the planning process
Fig. 3 Photo of the site from Battery Lane with the Severn and the Open Air Pool in the background
The nearest property to the site is a large house at the end of Lake Road, which is partially screened by mature trees but it has an upstairs window overlooking the site. The corner of the property and the boundary of the garden are less than 20m from the edge of a suitable position for the skate park
The second property is a substantial house on plinths on the west side of Battery Lane with views to the Severn. This property has side views of the site and its garden boundary is only 25m from the proposed site
Fig. 4 Photo of the second property adjoining the site
The third property is on the east side of Battery Lane and fronts onto the site. It presently affords views across the site to the River Severn and although the skate park can be located at the bottom of the site it would interfere with these views and the relative tranquillity of this site. Although loss of views is not grounds, in planning terms, for refusing planning permission, it could be anticipated that this resident will be greatly upset with the proposal of a skate park so close to their property
The site is also relatively narrow. The plan of the skate park overlaid on the Google Earth photograph is a relatively small skate park and it is clear that the site does not have enough width to allow adequate room to circulate the apron. If the skate park is moved within the site it will be closer to the bungalow on Battery Lane, which I anticipate, will be most aggrieved neighbours.
Fig. 5 Photo of the third property on Battery Lane
4. Kilkenny Fields
Fig. 6 Google Earth photo with the OS bas map overlaid and an indicative skate park layout located on the site with proposed planting and the distances to the nearest residential properties shown
The proposed site is located within a large area of maintained public open space between The Windmill Inn and the Lake Grounds. The land has limited recreational value but provides an open area for dog walking. The site slopes quite acutely from Nore Road towards the river. The proposed site is screened from the substantial residential properties on Nore Road by an area of woodland, which could be enhanced to provide additional screening. The curtilage of the nearest property is 100m from the site. The site is also well located in that it is close to the car park off Beach Road and relatively close to local amenities. Although there may be local opposition to this site all the properties are a substantial distance from the site and there is more than enough space to ensure that the skate park is well landscaped and is well integrated into its landscape.
This site has the one disadvantage of being sloped which will require a purpose design for the topography of the site. The indicative plan superimposed on the Google Eearh image is the layout for Chepstow Skate Park which was installed in a steeply sloping park in Bulwark, Chepstow.
Fig.7 Photo of the site from the Windmill Inn with the Open Air Pool in the background
5. Siting Criteria
In choosing a suitable site for a skate park its proximity to residential properties is an important criteria in ensuring it gets planning permission and that it is a successful facility within the community. It took Monmouthshire County Council six years to get planning permission for a site in Abergavenny and they had to employ bailiffs to allow contractors to build the skate park in Chepstow, so it is not worth underestimating local opposition.
A useful assessment criteria to use for the proximity of the skate park has been used by Monmouthshire County Council and Mike Moran; Leisure & Recreation Manager has provided advise on their present assessment criteria;
`The skatepark should be 30 metres from the boundary/curtilage of the garden of the nearest property which is based on NPFA (National Playing Fields Association) guidance for play areas:
NEAP (Neighbourhood Equipped Area for Play) – (large play area with better range of equipment serving a larger neighbourhood area) – 30 metres from the nearest residential curtilage.
A NEAP is considered to be a wheeled play area, hence we the use of 30 metres as the distance from the nearest part of the skatepark to the closest residential curtilage.
The acoustic engineers who are increasingly becoming important in these debates recommend different distances – for example the acoustic engineer in Abergavenny measured from the nearest part of the skate park boundary to the faade of the nearest properties, not the curtilage – he also recommended a distance of 100 metres which we think is excessive, although our own Environmental Health Officers have said that if they were asked to comment on a skatepark application they would be very unlikely to object if a skatepark was 100 metres distance from the nearest dwelling/curtilage but they would look twice if the distance was below 100 metres.
I think what I am trying to portray is that any distance used can be open to question by the acoustic profession but they are moving towards a broad guideline of 70 metres or 100 metres.
If I was revising our Assessment Criteria, I think I would recommend 50 metres between the nearest point of the skate park and the curtilage of the nearest dwelling(s), assuming that the skating finish is concrete and at least part of the site is below ground. I personally feel that the curtilage issue is important, as residents have a right to the quiet enjoyment of their homes and gardens. The point also needs to be made that distance is one indicator but the geography/topography of an area is also an important factor, as well as the skating surface and whether or not a skate park is above ground or below ground.
6. Conclusion
Based on these criteria alone I feel that the only site which fulfils this is Kilkenny Fields and with a good design this will be an excellent site; with close proximity to a car park, the lakeside park and within walking distance to the centre of Portishead. It has sufficient space to integrate it in the landscape and develop a facility for the young people of Portishead, with viewing space for friends and family and adequately screened from residential properties that are all over 100metres from the site
Jo Johnson MLI
Jo Johnson Landscape Architects
13 October 2008