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Update on Broughton Gate skatepark from The Parks Trust

 26th July 2012 
 

The Parks Trust has released an update on the Broughton Gate Skatepark, which is under threat of closure unless a number of guidelines are met.

The statement reads: "We’re pleased to report that, for the most part, the restricted hours (between 10am and 7pm) are being observed.

"We’re really grateful for all the cooperation from those who have left the site at closing time each evening and have respected the restricted hours of use. However we have had some reports of the park being used outside of these hours and yesterday evening we had to ask some people who were in the site at about 8pm to leave. It’s really important that the permitted hours of use are kept to.

"Our acoustics consultancy will be at the skatepark over the next few days to carry out some noise measurements. They will do this in the background whilst the skate park is in use.

"Their recordings and analysis will enable us to understand the noise from the skate park and the acoustics of the location. This will help us to identify the best approach to managing the noise and reducing its effect on the surroundings.

"We are also looking into whether any changes to the skatepark itself may help reduce some of the noise whilst still keeping it enjoyable to use.

"These investigations will take a few weeks and we will provide further updates when more information is available.

"We are grateful to the volunteers from the local community who have come forward with offers of help with opening and closing the skatepark. We’ve been in touch and will be arranging to discuss the opening and closing with them soon.

"Meanwhile the skatepark is being opened and closed by a local security firm and this arrangement will continue for the time being.

"We have also had various discussions with Broughton and Milton Keynes Council and others from the local community. We are grateful for their continuing help and support."

Website helps in

skatepark battle

by Anna Mauremootoo

18th July 2012

Campaigners fighting to save a skatepark have set up a website to raise awareness.

Shortly after the website was created the time frame given to The Parks Trust to comply with conditions which would allow Broughton Gate skatepark remain open was extended.

David Foster, chief executive of The Parks Trust, said: “Following further discussion between The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes Council last Friday the council issued the Trust with a revised Statutory Noise Abatement Notice replacing the one issued on June 27.

“The revised Notice still requires the Trust to install a fence. However it now gives the Trust up to three months to investigate, assess and then implement the best practicable measures that could be used to reduce noise.”

This has come as a welcome relief to the creators of MKSK8.com, a website set up to remind residents that the battle to save the skatepark is far from over.

Paul Baines, whose son uses the skatepark, helped to set up the website.

He said: “We were worried that while people are working on an action plan to tackle the problems there was still no real understanding of the source of the noise that is prompting complaints so this is great news.”

On Monday work started on a temporary two-metre fence which will limit use of the skatepark to between 10am and 7pm each day.

This will be in place until planning permission for a permanent barrier is sought.

The Parks Trust will open the skatepark every morning but volunteers are needed to lock it at night.

If you are interested in helping e-mail trinacreaser@me.com.

 

Broughton gate skatepark given longer to implement measures

 16th July 2012
 

Following further discussion between The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes Council (MKC) a revised Statutory Noise Abatement Notice has been issued replacing the one issued on 27 June. 

David Foster, Chief Executive of The Parks Trust, said: “The revised Notice still requires the Trust to install a fence around the skate park and to control the hours of use to after 10am and before 7pm. 

"However the revised Notice now gives the Trust up to three months to investigate, assess and then implement the best practicable measures that could be used to reduce noise from the skate park area. "

Measures include, but are not restricted to: the use of noise barriers; modification of the equipment at the park; and altering the layout of the park.

Mr Foster added: “We have already started investigating these measures and had discussed our initial findings with MKC.

" We appreciate their willingness to work with us and to allow us more time to thoroughly explore all possible options by issuing the revised notice.

“We shall be making every effort to try and find ways to keep the skate park and meet the noise abatement requirements. We will maintain regular contact with and seek advice from MKC as this work continues.

" There is still a lot to be done and some measures we are looking into will require planning permission before they could go ahead. However, we hope by working together with MKC, with Broughton and Milton Keynes Parish Council and with the local community that a solution can be found.

“Whilst we carry out further investigations it’s really important that we can count on the local community to help us make sure that the skate park is used and enjoyed responsibly and is not used out of the permitted hours.”

Councillor demands proof that skate park is too noisy

Skate Park off Countess Way Broughton Gate  may be closed due to noise complaint

Skate Park off Countess Way Broughton Gate may be closed due to noise complaint

 

A PARISH councillor has written to Milton Keynes Council urging it to prove that Broughton Gate skate park is too noisy.

 

The park hit the headlines in recent weeks when residents complained that the noise was causing a nuisance, with recordings from one of the homes being used as evidence against the park.

Meetings between residents, The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes Council have since resulted in the decision to demolish the popular skate park.

Paul Baines, who sits on Broughton Parish Council, has penned a letter to the Civic Offices questioning the legitimacy of the recordings.

He wrote: “If there was appetite to remove the ‘children at play’, you will remove a majority of the noise nuisance, and what you are left with seems to be unsociable behaviour. I would argue that this is then a police matter, not a council matter.

“Further to this I challenge the council to prove in public interest that the equipment used can obtain such readings from 40 metres away.

“I publicly make the accusation that these results are not by natural occurrence and are manufactured.

“I believe that the results are either from an open window or users of the footpath which is not the skate park.”

Milton Keynes Council playground policy to be looked at after Broughton Gate and Heronsgate protests

Skate Park off Countess Way, Broughton Gate

Skate Park off Countess Way, Broughton Gate

 

A COUNCIL policy dictating how far playgrounds are from houses is set to be re-examined.

 

The issue was raised by Conservative councillor for Walton Park, Alice Bramall, at a Cabinet meeting last night.

Miss Bramall asked the council to carry out a review of its playground policy following problems at facilities in areas such as Broughton Gate and Heronsgate.

The Broughton Gate Skate Park has been a hot topic of discussion since The Parks Trust revealed it would have to be demolished as a noise nuisance.

Residents whose children use the facility held public meetings and wrote to their ward councillors to oppose the move.

That led to Milton Keynes Council issuing the Parks Trust with a 28 day notice to put reasonable noise prevention measures in place so the park can remain open.

Miss Bramall said such issues can be avoided if the council’s planning rules are changed.

She said: “I have been looking at the different playground policies around different authorities and it seems to me that MK is fairly outdated.

“We have much smaller distances from houses than other authorities.

“The number of cases we are having where playgrounds are being built too close to houses made me think maybe we need to look at the policy.

“We need to look at our policy to stop this happening again.

“It is crazy to be giving children a facility and then take it away again. That is unacceptable for the children.

“It just seems there hasn’t been enough forward thinking and that is why, as a council, we want to put this right.

“Heronsgate is a fantastic facility, but it is very close to houses.

“Considering the public outcry it is only reasonable we reconsider our

Broughton Gate skatepark could be saved

28th June 2012

All hope is not lost for Broughton Gate Skate Park as The Parks Trust are given 28 days to comply with a  Statutory Noise Abatement Notice issued by  Milton Keynes Council.

Conditions  require the trust to install lockable security fencing around the skate park area to restrict access, control entry to the park so that there is no access before 10am and after 7pm and,  install sound reduction coating to all surfaces that equipment.

It is understood that this notice supersedes the council’s previous instruction to provide a timetable for removal of the facility.

It’s hoped that meeting these requirements 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.

At a meeting of Broughton Parish Council last night coucillors agreed to set up a working party with  councillors, a representative from the skaters, a member of the public and the relevant bodies to look at the options.

Milton Keynes Council Chief Executive David Hill said: “We are well aware of the enormous popularity of Broughton Gate skate park. In fact it has been 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.

“When the noise levels were established to be a statutory nuisance, we started working with the Parks Trust to explore options.

“Thankfully the Parks Trust now has an alternate route to explore other than immediate closure of the park. 

“If these conditions are adopted and the park remains open, we will continue to monitor noise levels.  We will also continue to explore options for the provision of skate park type facilities elsewhere, as a sensible precaution.”

Parish Council to hold emergency meeting on future of Broughton Gate Skate Park

Skate Park off Countess Way Broughton Gate  may be closed due to noise complaint

Skate Park off Countess Way Broughton Gate may be closed due to noise complaint

 

AN emergency meeting is set to take place next week to discuss the proposed closure of Broughton Gate Skate Park.

 

The parish council is due to hold the meeting on Wednesday night following outcry on the estate over the move.

The popular skate park was opened less than a year ago, but The Parks Trust – which took ownership of the facility in April – announced this week that it should be removed ‘as soon as practically possible.’

It follows complaints from nearby residents about noise at the park. It is now set to be demolished on July 2.

But many residents have moved to voice their support for the facility, with a Facebook page – Saving Broughton Skate Park – having already attracted almost 900 ‘Likes’ and a petition having been signed by 500 people.

Twitter users also contacted the Citizen to say the skate park should remain open.

And today, local business owners Katrina Creaser and Mark Fitzsimon added their names to the list of skate park supporters.

Mrs Creaser, who runs Squeaks Organic Eatery in Highley Grove, has asked the parish council to support moves to save the park; while Hungry Horse general manager Mr Fitzsimon told the Citizen the park is the perfect antidote to the ‘Playstation nation’ that blights modern Britain.

And, along with a friend Laura Howarth, and her 14-year-old daughter Kyra, Mrs Creaser is even threatening to handcuff herself to railing near the park to stop the demolition.

As well as Kyra, her three other children – Scott, Teddy and Sebbie – all use the skate park.

But she is hoping Wednesday’s meeting will help provide a simpler solution, with one possible answer being the construction of a noise abatement wall that could double as a graffiti wall or climbing frame.

“At the emergency meeting we will be asking if it can be saved or an alternative site found,” she said.

“If you are a proper skateboarder or BMXer it is only a beginners version, but it is somewhere for the children to go.

“The park needed planning permission to be built, so shouldn’t there be the same for the demolition along with a consultation?

“Hopefully everybody will be able to work together to get a solution.”

The petition will also be handed in to the parish council at the meeting, along with questionnaires collected by students at Oakgrove School asking people for their views on the park.

The skate park was also backed by Hungry Horse manager Mr Fitzsimon, who said his two children are regular users.

“It is brilliant for them,” he said.

“Forget the keeping them off the streets it is about the bigger picture. My little lad is three and he now has the confidence to play in the park with older kids.

“If one of the ten or 11 year olds misbehaves or swears, they will be told off by their mates.

“I remember having stuff like that as a kid, but we have become a playstation nation. This gets kids outside again.”

He added that the skate park is a safe environment for all and estimated that around 75 per cent of his customers at The Hungry Horse use it.

“A lot of kids that come into The Hungry Horse to use our play equipment, recognise me from the skate park.

“I am not just Mark the pub manager, but Mark the dad of two kids.

“There is no way this is as black and white as keep it up or knock it down.

“As a rule everyone in MK, including the council, tries to find solutions to problems. I think with discussion that can be the case here.”

And Mr Fitzsimon warned that if the park is removed, kids will find alternative things to do.

He said: “As a business I’m one of the only things in the village now. It needs more as it’s growing, growing, growing.

“These kids are eight, nine, ten now. If the park goes then by the time they are teenagers it is going to be people like me who will have to deal with trouble when they are bored.

“At the moment kids are gaining the confidence to try stuff and stay healthy. I sit there and think, ‘I wouldn’t attempt to do that’ but my little girl, who is nine, does it.

“To close this in Olympic year would be terrible.”

Earlier this week Milton Keynes Council ward member John Bint said the park was planned poorly and installed in the wrong place.

And following a meeting on Tuesday between Milton Keynes Council and the Parks Trust it was decided the park had to close.

Chief executive of the Trust David Foster said: “Our noise consultant felt that there were no practical measures that would guarantee to mitigate noise from the site and the council’s position was that The Parks Trust should remove the skate board park as soon as practically possible.”

But Mrs Creaser said: “The environmental report said children screaming was the main problem, not the grinding on the concrete.

“That problem won’t be solved by destroying the skate park as the kids will still be there.”

Broughton Gate skate park set to close

Published on Thursday 21 June 2012 10:38

 

THE popular skate park in Broughton Gate looks set to close less than a year after it opened.

 

The Parks Trust took ownership of the skate park and surrounding parkland from the Homes and Communities Agency this April, and have been inundated with complaints from nearby residents concerning the noise it generates.

The facility is the second play area in the Middleton Ward to prompt complaints about the noise after the play area Southside Lane was also closed shortly after opening.

Councillor John Bint said that both parks were planned poorly and installed in the wrong places.

“In terms of their design, you cannot fault them,” he said. “In fact, you have to give the designers a pat on the back for making the skate park so popular that people have travelled from all over to come and use it.

“The people who come and use it are using it properly - but it’s just in the wrong place. Being so close to the houses, of course it will create a disturbance to those nearby when they set up their PA systems to play loud music and floodlights to use it at night.

“The skate park was built where a small play area was required.”

But while it looks as though the park will have to be destroyed, Mr Bint says that other means are being looked at to ensure young people have somewhere to go.

He said: “We are looking at all the possible alternatives to keep a skate park open, but unfortunately the park doesn’t look moveable.”

Josh Lock, who designed the skate park, said he was disappointed to hear it was likely to be destroyed.

“It’s a shame when you think that there is nothing wrong with the park itself,” he said. “But the fact that the developers haven’t thought about where to put it makes the situation all the more frustrating.”

A spokesman from the Parks Trust said: “We know how disappointed everyone who has enjoyed using the skate park will be if it has to be removed so we are having a final meeting with Milton Keynes Council this week to see if there are any other options we can explore and what the Council might be able to do to provide an alternative facility.”

Broughton Gate skatepark could be demolished - less than a year after opening

20th June 2012

 

Children are threatening to chain themselves to the railings of their skatepark if plans to demolish it go ahead, MK NEWS can reveal.

Broughton Gate skatepark opened in August 2011 but complaints about noise from nearby residents could see it torn down next month.

MK NEWS understands that the total cost for putting up and then demolishing the site could be as much as £200,000.

This has sparked outrage among its young users, who have set up the Facebook campaign Saving Broughton Skate Park.

Since going live on Friday, the page has already received more than 700 ‘likes’, including one from champion BMXer Aaron Ross.

Parents are concerned that if the battle to save the park is lost children will go back to skating near busy roads and on unsafe makeshift ramps.

Daniel Leek, who lives in Eaton Hall, Broughton, just half a mile from the skatepark said: “My nephews are eight and five and this is the only place they can skate in the area. I walk past it every day and I’ve never thought it was noisy, so I can’t understand why people are complaining.”

According to Milton Keynes Council its environmental health team has received a number of complaints about noise at the site.

A spokesman said: “Our tests revealed that the noise generated was indeed above acceptable levels and has therefore caused a statutory nuisance, which must be dealt with.”

Although the skatepark was designed by Milton Keynes Council, on behalf of the Homes and Communities Agency, The Parks Trust took ownership of it in April.

The trust’s chief executive, David Foster, said: “We employed an independent acoustics expert to see if anything could be done to reduce the noise but because of the design there are no practical measures that could be guaranteed to work.

“We are having a final meeting with the council to see if there are any other options we can explore.”

 

 

> The video featured was posted on YouTube by joebruceretnolds under the headline ‘Don’t Close Broughton Skate Park’

 

28 days to save Broughton Gate Skate Park

Skate Park off Countess Way Broughton Gate

Skate Park off Countess Way Broughton Gate

 

BROUGHTON Gate Skate Park has been given a stay of execution.

 

The popular play area had been scheduled for demolition next week, but yesterday Milton Keynes Council issued an abatement notice offering possible solutions to noise problems caused by the park.

The notice was served on owners of the land, The Parks Trust, and sets out as series of conditions that must be adopted for the park to remain open.

The park had been scheduled for closure following complaints from nearby residents and a council investigation which found noise levels to be unacceptable.

But many residents have called for the park to remain open, with a Facebook page and petition set up.

And the council and Parks Trust have been working on ways of keeping it open.

Now the Trust has 28 days to ensure the following measures are in place:

– Install security fencing around the skate park area, with lockable gate, capable of ensuring access can be restricted other than at permitted times

– Ensure that entry to the park is controlled so that access is restricted to between 10am to 7pm

– Where possible, install sound reduction coating to all surfaces that equipment such as skateboards and scooters will use; or carry out alternative works or actions which would also abate the nuisance

Milton Keynes Council chief executive David Hill said: “We are well aware of the enormous popularity of Broughton Gate skate park. In fact it has been a victim of its own success, with people using the skate park day and night. Unfortunately this has led to unacceptable noise levels for residents.

“When the noise levels were established to be a statutory nuisance, we started working with the Parks Trust to explore options.

“Thankfully the Parks Trust now has an alternate route to explore other than immediate closure of the park.

“If these conditions are adopted and the park remains open, we will continue to monitor noise levels. We will also continue to explore options for the provision of skate park type facilities elsewhere, as a sensible precaution.”

And chief executive of The Parks Trust, David Foster, added: “Since Tuesday night’s public meeting about Broughton Gate Skate Park Milton Keynes Council has issued us with a Statutory Noise Abatement Notice with conditions which require us to install lockable security fencing around the skate park area to restrict access other than at permitted times, control entry to the park so that there is no access before 10am and after 7pm and, where possible, install sound reduction coating to all surfaces that equipment such as skateboards and scooters will use, or take other measures to abate the noise.

“We understand that this Notice supersedes their previous instruction to us to provide a timetable for removal of the facility.

“There is still a great deal of work to be done to comply with these conditions as there are many approvals to obtain, maybe even planning permission, but we will do our best to meet them within the 28 day time frame.

“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.

“We will need the help of the local community in making sure the skate park is used responsibly and is not used out of hours and will be discussing this with the parish council and Community Action MK over the next few days.”

A emergency meeting also took place at Broughton Gate Parish Council last night at which the parish council pledged to work with the Trust to assist with the noise mitigation measures.

Resident Katrina Creaser, who runs Squeaks Organic Eatery in Highley Grove, said that an action group has been set up consiting of users, residents, parish councillors and the Broughton Community Mobiliser in order to assist with designs to help reduce the noise.