| Babergh District Council’s Glemsford Skateboard Park Scrutiny Panel has issued its report into the siting of the facility. It will be considered by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Community Services) on 13th July. The report makes a number of proposals to ensure that all future projects of a similar nature are effectively considered and implemented.
The Panel conducted its investigations by interviewing all of the interested parties, including Babergh District Council and Glemsford Parish Council. The Panel Members also visited the site itself.
Cllr. James Long, Chairman of the Panel, felt that he and his fellow members had “got to the heart of the matter. All of the various parties involved were motivated by the very best of intentions, but it was clear that a number of errors and oversights were made. This led to the unsatisfactory situation of the skatepark having to be removed due to complaints about excessive noise coming from the facility”.
“What was particularly important for the Panel was the evidence that these lessons had been learnt and that procedures had been adapted to ensure that there should not be a repeat occurrence”.
The Panel considered that there were a number of areas where both Glemsford Parish Council and the district could have helped avoid the situation whereby the park had to be removed.
Colin Parmenter, Chairman of Glemsford Parish council felt that the “report was detailed and I’m sure that all parties have learnt valuable lessons”.
The Panel made a number of specific recommendations, including that :
Revisions be made to the checklist of actions that need to be taken when dealing with proposals of this sort
Visits be undertaken, where necessary, to proposed sites for any play areas or skateparks
All relevant staff be given information on up-to-date guidelines and relevant legislation that may have an impact on such decisions
Potential contractors for such works be required to take into account the impact of legislation, standards and guidance on the works they carry out
“We trust that these recommendations, if accepted, will provide a clear framework for the siting and construction of facilities of benefit to young people in our communities” concluded Cllr. Long. |