Skate park group considers disbanding

A GROUP which has worked for years to create a new skate park in Portishead is considering disbanding after it was revealed permission to site a facility at the Lake Grounds is set to be refused.

North Somerset Council is due to publish a document recommending an application for landlord’s consent made by Portishead Skatepark Project (PSP) is refused on the grounds a skate park would have a detrimental impact on the area.

Planning permission has been granted and the final hurdle PSP needed to overcome was to gain permission from the council to site the skate park on its land.

However, the Times understands this will not be given and a document detailing the decision will be published online before being signed off by North Somerset Council executive member for asset management, Tony Lake.

In light of this, a statement from PSP said: “We are appalled that despite years of hard work by dedicated young people of the town, despite five years of consultation, a successful planning application, overwhelming public support in addition to the support of both Portishead Town Council and the police, the towns elected representatives have failed to agree to a facility our youth desperately need.”

PSP chairman Tony Moseley added: “We believe that we have nearly reached the end of the road and are considering disbanding the project. We do not believe there is another suitable site in the town to develop the successful facility the town needs.”