| February 2006 - Details of the
Town Council's final plans for a skateboard facility on KGV.
For years now, Wivenhoe Town Council has been considering the desire by many of Wivenhoe's teenagers (and younger) to have some proper skateboarding ramps, rather than their makeshift ones in places like Cook's Shipyard. The Council has also been very conscious of concerns raised by residents whenever they feel it could be located close to their homes. Since mid-2004, this Council has been working hard to agree a scheme that balances the wishes of teenagers for some skateboarding equipment, the desire of the Town Council to provide more facilities for youngsters so that fewer of them will wander around aimlessly looking for something to do and that also recognises the legitimate fears and concerns of residents who will live near such a facility. The Town Council has settled on a location for it on King George V Playing Field at a point furthest removed from the homes bordering the field. It will comprise just two main ramps (each three foot high, plus a five-foot guard-rail on top), a middle ramp section plus two low rails. We have been helped in the design of it by consultants and by involving some youngsters so that it should appeal to skateboarders, in-line skaters and those who ride BMX bikes. It will be a modest play facility, about half the size of other skate-parks Councillors have visited in the Colchester area. The Council want it to appeal especially to a younger age group and not those teenagers looking for a more adventurous facility. Councillors have spent much time and effort in considering all the possible implications of such a scheme, including all those raised during an extensive public consultation period that started in November 2004. The proposal has since gone through many changes and refinements in consequence. The final proposal, which will go before the Town Council for approval at its meeting on Monday, 20th February is contained in a 35-page report, a pdf copy of which is available by clicking here (Note file size = 1.6mb).
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