'Too noisy' Broughton Gate skate park gets short term reprieve

A Milton Keynes skate park threatened with closure after noise complaints has had a short-term reprieve.

The council had agreed the scraping of skateboards at Broughton Gate skate park was louder than the legal limit.

It said that removing the facility was the only option and a public meeting was held to discuss the issue.

It has now served owners The Parks Trust with a noise abatement order offering solutions and 28 days to implement them.

The skate park in the children's play area at Broughton Gate was designed by Milton Keynes Council and opened to the public in August 2011 with The Parks Trust taking ownership in April this year.

After residents complained, a council investigation found noise levels to be unacceptable, including late at night and early in the morning.

Following a public meeting, the council imposed a number of conditions the trust must adopt.

These include installing security fencing with lockable gate and restricting use to between 10:00 to 19:00 BST.

Council chief executive David Hill called the park "a victim of its own success" with people using the skate park day and night.

"Unfortunately this has led to unacceptable noise levels for local residents," he said.

David Foster from the Parks Trust said that there was "still a great deal of work to be done to comply with the conditions.

He said: "Hopefully the work specified by the council will mean that the skate park can remain open and the residents who were affected by the noise will get the peace and quiet they are entitled to."

The facility cost £85,000 to install and would cost a further £15,000 to remove.