Heated meeting over skate park
WELL-behaved youths and angry adults this week debated a skate park and youth shelter for a park.
About 80 people, including teenagers and older residents, police and councillors packed into the Four ClocksCentre café in Bishop Auckland for a meeting about proposals for the town rec.
Neighbours are objecting to the proposed youth shelter saying it will increase anti-social behaviour problems.
One man also accused skateboarders of cutting wire fences to get into tennis courts, a claim strongly denied.
The youths, who drew up a petition calling for more facilities, admitted they were baffled by the youth shelter. They asked only for a skate park.
They also said they were unimpressed with the conduct of the adults who interrupted presentations from Groundwork, the charity drawing up the plans, in a highly-charged meeting. Andrew, 15, said: “They’re complaining about anti-social behaviour when they’re the ones that are behaving anti-socially in this meeting.
“They’re stereotyping young people as troublemakers.”
Steven, 14, said fears that the skate park would be overrun by “bad lads” were misguided. He said: “We just want somewhere to skate where we’re not going to get told off.
“The only place we can go is car parks. We’re not going there to wind people up, while we’re there we want to stay out the way, it’s just there really is nowhere else to go.
“We know all the bad lads, we went to school with them so we can talk to them.
“There’ll be so many people who want to use the skate park, not just for boarding but also BMXs and bladers, we’ll make sure it’s used properly.”
Thomas, 15, said the town rec was the perfect place for the skate park as it was the most central location.
said: “It will encourage more people to take up skating which is good because it gets you exercise and is somewhere you can meet and make friends.”
Joanne Morley from Groundwork said once the youths and adults began talking the mood became more positive. She said the skate park will be the priority with a shelter a possibility.
She said: “We want to do something that suits all. We don’t want to put something in that causes more problems and we’re hoping a skate park would ease issues.”
S
he said no decisions had been made and further consultations will be held.
Acting Inspector David Hancock from the Bishop Auckland Neighbourhood beat team said residents with concerns should speak to officers at the Police And the Community Together (Pact) meeting.
The next Pact for the town centre will be held at St Anne’s Church in the market place at 6.30pm on Wednesday, August 18.