Monday, February 04, 2008

Hey the skatepark couldn't be used.

Via Tav on the WFA, and the Express and Star, and I note not the Shuttle; we get the non-news that the skate-park was recently flooded and thus closed. No shit Sherlock.

What is of interest is the E&S's reiteration of "many people claimed would be in the wrong place". As Tav implies it would be childish to use this as a Neh Neh we told you so we told you so neh neh, so I won't <cough>. The E&S also states that

Councillors chose the site after lengthy talks and meetings with young people who were asked about the design and layout.
which those with long memories may notice as being slightly misleading 'After lengthy talks and meetings with young people, who were asked about the design and layout, Councillors chose the site'; may be deemed a little more accurate.

Something new in the implication that this entire project was because of bored youths on the Walshes Estate, so um we'll put this on the other side of the river then; hey makes sense to me. No really it does.

We get the reiteration of 'We think it'd be better on the car-park next to the leisure centre' ignoring all the reasons that it couldn't go there, which I can't be arsed to repeat and which the people spouting this already know. We do however get my favourite person in the whole wide world, Cllr Campion, answering that remark with "...but that is where the toilets, swings, pitch-and-putt and children’s play equipment is sited." a statement that applies just as equally if not more so to the other side closer to the Civic Centre, which is less susceptible to flooding and is where I and others had been pointing to with some small measure of exasperation (Oops was that another neh neh told you so?).

Ah well don't worry I'm sure we can take the annual (or more) cleaning bill in our stride unless the BMXers will do it for us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From recollection of the whole affair, I seem to remember it was mentioned (in passing) that it would help to elevate anti-social behaviour on the Walshes Estate. However, the reason for sitting it the other side of the river to the Walshes Estate is because its position can cause anti-social behaviour due to the territorialism of 'gangs of youths' (presumable the main consumers of a skate playground). So next to the river on top of a picnicking area was deemed a neutral zone (or de-militarised zone).

FlipC said...

Indeed one of the arguments I made was that siting it at either Walshes or Lickhill would allow domination by either group. I had no problems with it being on the Riverside it was just Cllr Campion's remarks about why it should be there that irked.