Skate park plan a step near

PLANS for a skate park have cleared their latest hurdle after being found a new site

Hopes of building a dedicated area at Rawmarsh’s Rosehill Park for youngsters wanting to practise their skateboarding skills suffered a setback last year when the site originally chosen was earmarked for a tennis academy instead.

The move forced council sports officers to go back to the drawing board but they eventually selected another spot in the park and have now secured planning permission.

But not everybody will be celebrating the news as the borough council’s Planning Board received a petition from urging them to reject the plans.

  • Objectors said that the skate park would:
  • be too close to the properties Pipe House Lane and overlook them.
  • worsen ongoing problems with anti-social behaviour in the area.
  • cause drainage problems and affect a rare species of ladybird in nearby oak trees.

But a report by planning officers urged councillors to support the scheme, saying:

“This location has been chosen as it is close to other recreational facilities, such as a multi-use games area and tennis courts and is reasonably well overlooked.

“There will be no impact on any existing accesses within the park with an access path created from the east of the site.

“The drainage will be within the landscaped parts of the structure.

The nearest properties are located approximately 80 metres from the nearest point of the skate park.

“No lights are proposed with the development and bearing in mind that the access is across two roads, it is not considered that this would have any significant detrimental impact in terms of noise and disturbance over and above that of the existing park.

South Yorkshire Police have indicated that there are no policing objections to the application.

“It is considered that a protective fence would allow adequate protection to the existing mature tree and this is considered to help safeguard the future prospects of the tree and help prevent damage.

“There are no objections to the proposal on highway safety grounds.”