Town council gives skatepark project cautious backing

By our local democracy reporters
 
Members of the new-look Reepham Town Council took a positive and conciliatory line on the proposed new skatepark and other developments at the Stimpson’s Piece recreation ground at their meeting on Wednesday 9 October.
 

The previous skatepark facility located at Stimpson’s Piece was closed and removed in 2022 on safety grounds. Photo: Reepham Town Council

 
Following last month’s resignation of three councillors over the issue, they agreed it was important to tread lightly and maintain public confidence in the project.
 
They elected as chair Cllr Hetty Selwyn, who was co-opted to the council in May, with Matthew Steel elected vice chair, and also co-opted Thomas Hills to join them. The town council now has nine members, of whom five were present at the meeting.
 
Among members of the public who attended the meeting, no-one spoke up on behalf of the skatepark.
 
Modest funding approved
 
Councillors agreed to set aside £5,000 to get the skatepark project started. Some of this money will pay for legal advice on the tender documents for the construction contract.
 
The meeting decided that the council’s general reserves should absorb the remaining £20,000 they hope has been freed up by a previous decision to make Broadland District Council responsible for the churchyard wall.
 
Projects to improve Stimpson’s Piece could apply for this money in the future, they said, but would have to compete with other demands on the council’s budget.
 
The bulk of the funding for the replacement skatepark would need to come from grants or be raised by volunteers, councillors emphasised. They supported the creation of a “Friends of Stimpson’s Piece” group to involve local people with all aspects of the recreation ground, not just the skatepark.
 
But where will it go?
 
The tender process for a new skatepark should take just six weeks following the legal review, said town clerk Kirsty Cotgrove. It became clear, however, that the project could take much longer because of the need to agree a site and consider other potential projects at Stimpson’s Piece.
 
One idea is to use part of the overflow car park, said Cllr Sam James, but some councillors and members of the public worried that this might lead to parking problems at busy times.
 
Cllr James mentioned other potential projects such as a sensory garden and a plan to move the children’s playground away from the trees. These could delay agreement on a site for the skatepark, the meeting noted.
 
The next meeting of Reepham Town Council will be at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 13 November at Stimpson’s Piece Pavilion, Bartle Court, Reepham, followed by the Stimpson’s Piece Trustee meeting at 8.30 pm.
 
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