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Cllr John Bint (Conservative)

Milton Keynes Council
1 Saxon Gate East
Milton Keynes
MK9 3EJ

Tel: 01908 606200

Surgery: 10.30-11.30am, The Pavilion, St Bartholomew's, Monkston

Email: john.bint@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Commitee membership

  • Transport & Highways Portfolio (Chairman)
  • Cabinet (Member)

Cllr Peter McDonald (Conservative)

c/o Civic Offices

1 Saxon Gate East

Central Milton Keynes

MK9 3 EJ

Tel: 01908 673279

Email: peter.mcdonald@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Committee membership

  • Corporate Affairs and Performance Select Committee
  • Regulatory Committee

 

 

 

 

 

 

Councillor John Bint says

 

Friday 17th August 2012

 

"Dear Residents of Broughton, Broughton Gate & Brooklands,

This is to give you all a quick update on a superb meeting held at the Council yesterday, attend by the Council Leader, various senior Council officers, the Parks Trust, myself as one of your Ward Councillors (unfortunately my colleague Peter McDonald was busy elsewhere), and a delegation of skateboard users and other experts led by two of your Parish Councillors, Paul Baines and Laura Haworth.

There will be more formal information to you all shortly, but here are the headlines:

1. The level of participation in this hobby has basically surprised everyone, and one idea being looked into is to create additional skateparks to help meet demand and to reduce the pressure of numbers (and the impact of these numbers) at Broughton Gate.

2. The Council will arrange to meet with skateboard users and experts within the next month or so, to learn more about the hobby, and to better understand what kind of additional facilities are most suitable, and where they should be - maybe somewhere out on the "edge" of the city where it's far enough away not to cause a nuisance to nearby families, maybe somewhere more central but perhaps in an employment zone -  what kind of additional facilities are needed (car parks, toilets, cafe), and so on. The Council needs to learn some lessons from this skatepark, and those lessons include realising just how penetrating the noise of skateboarding can be, and learning from experience across the country that shows what is the minimum distance to avoid causing a nuisance to families living nearby.

3. Everyone seems to be cautiously optimistic that the noise reduction measures being put in place at Broughton Gate will resolve the noise/nuisance sufficiently.

4. I'd like to say a big "thank you" to all the skatepark users for the way you're all using the skatepark when it's open and - in general - quietly moving away from the area when it closes each evening. To help get additional facilities for skateboarding, it is really important that skateboarders go to and from this skateboard park without distressing local residents. There have been one or two isolated incidents, so can I encourage you all to protect and enhance the reputation of this hobby, by being particularly considerate when you're going through nearby streets.

5. I don't yet have any idea how soon we can build more skateboarding (and scootering, and BMX'ing) facilities somewhere in MK. The idea only came up yesterday, so the Council doesn't yet have money in its budget, nor a site/sites in mind, nor planning permission. These things take time. What the Council DOES have, as a result of the meeting yesterday, is a fresh approach to this popular hobby.

We'll keep you all updated, as soon as there is any more news. 

And meanwhile, if you or someone in your family uses the skatepark, do please be mindful that your considerate behaviour towards local families who don't use the skatepark will make it much easier for the Council to support this hobby.

Kind regards,

John Bint (Cllr)

John Bint & Peter McDonald
Middleton Conservatives - working for local people, all year round.

 

 

 

What Conservative Councillors say

 

Thank you for your updates regarding the Broughton Skate Park. As you may be aware I recently called for a playground policy review at a cabinet meeting as I am having a similar issue in my ward. 

I would be delighted to look at a copy of the book (Public Skatepark Development Guide) and am confident that steps are now being taken by the council to ensure these type of situations never occur again.

Kind regards,

Alice
 

Councillor Alice Bramall

Representing the Walton Park Ward