Skatepark will have to go

Councillor Chris Mote, leader of Harrow Council, told the Byron Skatepark Users Association the current facility at Byron Park, off Christchurch Avenue, will definitely be demolished.

He said: "The existing skatepark will have to go - I have got to make that absolutely clear.

"We will never please everyone all of the time, this is not utopia, but we want to take an approach that is fair to everyone."

The skatepark will be demolished to make way for a new leisure centre and replaced with a new facility on a different location in the park.

Members of the users group told Cllr Mote the existing park would cost more to replace than the £300,000 the council has already promised.

They have also said health and safety restrictions might prevent the council from rebuilding the current park to the same design.

Mark Langston, a BMX rider who lived in Harrow for 34 years, said: "On the old concrete you don't slip. The new parks are made out of polished metal or polished concrete that's screened and shined.

"There are a lot of things in that skatepark that the Health and Safety Commission do not agree with but we've been riding it for years."

He added: "There are people talking about this meeting in America because they do not want this site to go."

But Cllr Mote hinted more money could be made available if needed.

The users group suggested a number of other sites for the centre but all were either already up for sale, too small or were privately owned.

James Hitchcox, head of the users group, said: "I just think that 30 years ago, when the park was built, they went to so much effort to make skateboarding a part of our culture and I really hope they do that again.

"It could be a piece de resistance."

The meeting was held to help Cllr Mote and council officers work with skatepark users in designing the new facility.

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