Plans for a skate park in Caerphilly town have moved a step closer after a provisional agreement on its location was reached.
The skate park is earmarked for location in Morgan Jones Park next to the recently built outdoor gym section.
Caerphilly County Borough Council now wants to get the views of the community and will soon be launching a public consultation.
Morgan Jones Ward councillor James Pritchard attended a recent site meeting and welcomed the development.
Cllr Pritchard said: “Delivering facilities such as this exciting new skate park is crucial to meet the needs of young people living in Caerphilly.
“We need to continue investing in Morgan Jones Park”.
Not many years ago i recall seeing publicity about a Welsh Assembly £640.000 (Six Hundred and Forty Thousand Pounds) Grant to a local group to create a sketeboard park in the then disused indoor market in Pentrebane Street. I think I also recall Caerphilly Council also giving the same group £22,000 to top up the same proposed facility. IT NEVER OPENED.
I also think, the Ramps etc were provided with a further grant of many thousands of pounds from the Big Lottery Fund, IT NEVER OPENED.
Caerphilly Council then moved the Ramps etc, ( which were disigned and constructed with material only suitable for indoor use,) to an OUTDOOR location behind the Caerphilly Leisure Centre. It lasted for? How long? IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE USED OUTDOOR. There was probably a loss in excess of £750,000 on that failed process.
Lets hope that any ratepayers money spent to create this NEW skatepark, in Morgan Jones Park will be a good investment. it is being created with the support of Morgan Jones Labour Councillor James Pritchard who has proven to be a fine young Councillor who has really involved all his constituents in all his work in his ward, so I am sure that he will keep a very close eye on how the current plans progress.
This is generally what happens when local councils interfere in things they know nothing about, somebody comes up with a good idea and the local council muscle in and claim the good idea as their own rather than leaving it to the private business people who know what they are doing to get on with it. A skate park is a good idea but in my experience it ends up as being a place for gangs to hang out and bully anybody who dares use ‘their skate park’.
I have seen the one in Newport by the Tredegar roundabout park thrive, lots of young people of all ages there. No sign of gangs or what part of the city you come from. In fact they’re more interested in competing with each other on who can do the best tricks or demonstrate the most skill rather than a turf war. Skateboarding is a sport and its peer led, with points systems and so on (when people compete). I was never any good at it.
Hopefully then times have changed from my day as a youth when gangs would hang out at the local skate park and either nick your board, smash your bike or your face, until they’d scared everybody away and had the park to themselves – be good for youngsters to have somewhere to go.
Spot on Paul
In my exerience Allan is right. Most kids want to compare notes/skills. I dont beleve there have been any problems at the Lansbury Park skate park where my son goes.
The reason why it never opened was due to fire/health and safety, in all the planning that went into it nobody considered the fire safety. The staff who campaigned tirelessly to get it installed and up and running all lost their jobs as consequence as the idea behind it was to make the youth project self sustaining. There was no professional advice prior to its installation, I can’t understand why through the planning process it wasn’t picked up. One member of the trustees was so desperate to try and get it opened they borrowed a lot of money in their own name and ploughed it into it and probably never got her money back – however health and safety and fire regulations brought it down. Then is was then used a political football and a nice, if not quite accurate, article in the Western Mail put the nail in the coffin. Staff lost their jobs and young people lost their youth club. One person in particular was an avid campaigner from the start to stop it from opening – you never know perhaps that same person pointed out the fire risk. Agree a waste, however I doubt if the Councillors had anything to do with it. Risk adverse paid officers more likely.
Councillor Rees?, you are more or less correct in the points you make, however, the stark fact is the officers of Caerphilly Council, i.e. those with the responsibility to provide proper scrutiny over the ways its grants are being spent and utitlised, failed to recognise the fragility of the entire project from the start, they failed to identify that there was, and remains, extensive areas of Asbestos in the building, they failed to recognise the need for fire escapes and they failed to advise the good people who were volunteers. ( and those who took saleries) of their responsibility for health and safety issues in their planning of the project. They failed to establish the one very important and subjective overarching imovable principle, that, before money is spent, from the public purse on such `projects` Sustainability and Longevity of such proposals have to be firmly established by the people applying for, and spending ratepayers money.
In the case of the Indoor Market skate board project, whilst well meant, was a dead duck from day one, and, Councillors who were supporting it, and Officers of CCBC and, in fact, officers from the Welsh Assembly, lacked professional circumspection, as a result, the honourable lady you speak about, who was full of integrety and honesty suffered the inevitable collapse of the project, the rest of the failure in moving, indoor equipment, outdoor, compounded the waste of ratepayers money.
Councillor James Pritchard appears to have got the mistakes of the past under control in respect to his support for the current proposals for a `new` skate board park facility in Caerphilly town, as a result, I am sure he will have the full support of reasonably minded, fair, citizens
Allan, you say: “One member of the trustees was so desperate to try and get it opened they borrowed a lot of money in their own name and ploughed it into it and probably never got her money back”. Be advised that the final account of the failed project shows this hardworking, honourable and honest lady was fully reimbursed for her `investment`. The Remaining funds were distributed by the holding Trustees ( Caerphilly Town Council) to other local `Charities`.
You also allude to the fact that staff engaged on the project `All lost their Jobs` actually, this is not accurate, most were given employment by the Caerphilly County Borough Council as `Youth Officers`, one was even engaged as a HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER in the Leisure Services department, this professional appointment with Caerphilly council in Health and Safety appears to suggest that at least one officer on the failed project was recognised as a professional in all aspect of Health and Safety, which, he would have resumably applied in his job with the Skate Board park failed project.?
I’m not sure what you’re getting at. However lets just say, as you illustrate above and below, it wasn’t as clear cut as originally made out. I will also add that every one in that project gave it their all to get the park open and even where personal money was used, and reclaimed, all actions were commendable.
II agree that eveyone engaged as volunteers and project staff worked hard. never suggested anything else.
I am fully conversant with the complexities for the failure and all the specific reason for it. However, it did fail, but it appears Councillor James Pritchard has ensured that this current proposal will not fail, but will be a succcessful development for the town and all the parks users, particularly the people for which the facility will be provided. Councillor Pritchard is doing one vital thing which the original project did not do, and that is to consult his constituents and the wider public with the intention of gaining proper valuable support from diverse sections of the public. excelent way forward.