A ramp too far for residents

12:30pm Thursday 24th July 2008

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CONCERN is mounting among residents in Urmston over plans to put a skate ramp in Woodsend Park.

The project has been in the pipeline since March when joint funding of £36,000 for the facility was announced by the Safer Trafford Partnership and Trafford Housing Trust.

But the issue has now divided the Woodsend community. Last week a 300 signature strong petition was submitted to the council at a public meeting held so residents could learn more about the project, but was countered by another with a similar number of signatures from people supporting it.

Speaking against the plans, Simon Thomas, who lives opposite the park, told SUM: “At the meeting we were shown three options for the skate ramp’s design, but local people weren’t given a say on whether we wanted this.

“The residents are very worried about the real threat of a massive rise in anti-social behaviour in the area, not just the noise, but the attraction of gangs to the park after dark.”

He said residents had in the past few years put up with youths drinking, taking drugs, starting fires, and acting in a “generally loutish and threatening” way, and it was that behaviour which last year saw police apply a Section 30 Disperal Order in the wider area to curb anti-social behavior and youth nuisance.

But one of the projects main champions, Davyhulme councillor, June Reilly, told Messenger the skate ramp would be regularly policed, and said if it was abused it would go.

“If it goes the wrong way then we’ll have to readdress the situation, and if it has to be taken down then that will happen,” she said.

“But I think it would be very unfair to the children to say they can’t have it because a small minority are against this. The police are one hundred per cent behind this and have said they would patrol it.”

Messenger asked Urmston’s Neighbourhood Policing Team if they thought the ramp would attract trouble: “We’ve been working with our partners at Trafford Council, Trafford Leisure and Trafford Housing Trust to address the lack of provision of youth diversionary activities in the local area, and we are 100 per cent behind improving provision in this area,” said Sergeant Jane Curran.

“One of the main reasons the police have had issues in Woodsend previously is because of the very fact that there is little by way of diversionary activites for the youths in the area.

“As always, the Urmston Neighbourhood Poling Team will monitor any problems in the area, and deal appropriately with any issues that may arise.

“It is to be hoped that with an activity available to them, young people can now enjoy their evenings doing something they enjoy. It has taken a long time to reach this point and we should do all we can to support the project.

And she added: “Whilst the police can fully appreciate that residents may worry about the skatepark, and who it may attract, please rest assured that we have pledged support to the project and we will deal robustly with anyone who tries to spoil this initiative or disrupt legitimate users.”