RESIDENTS in Bradford on Avon should be asked for their views on proposals for a new £200,000 skatepark after lockdown ends, a town councillor says.

The town's council and skatepark designers Maverick have been unable to consult people up to now because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At tomorrow night's full council meeting, councillors will be asked to go-ahead with a new wheeled skatepark facility at Poulton Field.

If the council's motion is approved, the skatepark would be located on the same site as the previous skatepark, which was removed in 2018 after being wrecked by vandals.

Council leader Dom Newton wants to ringfence £100,000 towards the cost, with public appeals having already raised more than £8,000 towards a new skatepark through donations.

He says the council will continue to provide all necessary officer support to the project, including sourcing of funds from external

bodies.

The two other sites are at Victory Field, closer to the town centre and more easily accessible for youngsters living on the north side of Bradford on Avon.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Jim Lynch believes the town's residents should have a say on which of the three sites they would prefer.

He said: "The town is being given no opportunity to debate the merits of these three sites."

Cllr Lynch has submitted an alternative motion which would commit the council to conduct a post-lockdown consultation and take account of people's views before proceeding.

He said: "The Poulton site is the least technically challenging of the three sites. It is also, we suggest, potentially the most contentious site regarding social and community desirability.

"Quite apart from its design flaws, the previous skateboarding facility on this site was, due to its isolated position, subject to frequent instances of anti-social behaviour, including documented drug abuse.

"Access to and from the site, both pedestrian and motorised, would also require serious thought.

"Consideration of this site would require substantive dialogue with the local community and stakeholder groups, including, especially, the local police and community support officers," he said.