Is skatepark project finished as council eyes new paid Maesydre car park?

Welshpool can forget about a new skatepark being built anytime soon as the Town Council looks set to go back on its promise of making it a priority and, instead, potentially using the area earmarked as a paid car park.

The bombshell was dropped at last night’s Strategy, Policy and Development Committee meeting when members agreed unanimously to request more information on how the Maesydre car parking areas can be used as a revenue maker for the cash-strapped Town Council.

The car park, which was formerly two tennis courts, was identified as the ideal spot for a state-of-the-art skatepark to replace the one removed by the Town Council in 2020 due to health and safety concerns.

But the lack of progress since, caused largely by the delay in obtaining plans, has seen it slip off the priority list as the local authority looks to make extra revenue.

And it appears that the recent closure of the railway car park has led to Maesydre’s becoming busy with people parking for free all day, and committee chair, Cllr Phil Pritchard, claiming there are over 60 cars there most days.

However, MyWelshpool checked at 9.30am this morning and there were 19 cars parked, out of just 42 bays available (right). Although that could be down to the railway car park reopening today.

There were none on the other side of the grandstand by the Bowling Club (below, right) nor towards the Rugby Club which could also become chargeable parking zones.

The suggestion by the committee chair, Cllr Phil Pritchard, is to construct a barrier system to charge daily parkers, but Cllr Pritchard also said it should remain at weekends to charge visiting teams and sportsmen and women using the playing fields.

But Cllr Billy Spencer and former mayor, Cllr Nick Howells, who were only observers at the meeting, raised concerns about the skatepark being mothballed saying it would cause huge “reputational risk” to the council.

Cllr Spencer said: “The general consensus among Welshpool people, and my constituents, is that it is an absolutely ridiculous idea to ask for them to pay money to go down there to watch their children or family members or anyone else to play sport. Or to go to the park.

“They have just had a massive increase in council tax and now we want to put a parking charge on there for when they want to go down to our playing fields. I completely disagree with this idea. It’s absolutely ludicrous.”

He then added: “Isn’t this the area earmarked for the skatepark? Already I would say that our reputation is not at its best, and I think if we are going to put a charging car park on somewhere where we promised a skatepark for the children of this town it is going to create uproar. I am sorry, it just doesn’t bode well with me.”

He went on to ask where the skatepark should be located if the car park plans went ahead, to which Cllr Pritchard replied: “Every one of us in this room is to blame, because it has been going on for five years now, promising this town a skatepark and nobody has done a blind thing about it. None of us. That doesn’t wash with me. You’ve had every chance to put a skatepark in over the last five years and no-one has pushed it.”

Cllr Morag Bailey urged councillors not to jump “20 steps ahead” and reminded them that the car park idea was merely being looked at as a potential source of revenue, and could even be introduced as a temporary measure whilst the skatepark plans proceeded.

But Town Mayor, Cllr Phil Owen, gave a somewhat gloomy outlook for the skatepark by explaining: “We have been waiting for Canvas (company tasked with designs) to come up with plans and we were told they are one of the very few organisations that can do it. Had it come through a few years ago it probably would have happened, but things have moved on.

“We now have a problem that we are competing for finance for some urgent projects and the funders are likely the same funders who would fund the skatepark.

“They are not going to do all of them so we have to prioritise. It is not a question of shelving it indefinitely, but in the short term we have to look at other more pressing things and we can make use of that land and if we can make some income from it in the interim, then that’s a good thing because we desperately need the money.”

Cllr Pritchard then stuck by his guns by wanting to introduce a charge for weekend and evening use as well, which could impact the clubs.

“The clubs are having a very good ride off Welshpool Town Council. We are paying out thousands for the maintenance of the pitches. And we have a pittance in from the clubs,” he said.

The skatepark update won’t go down well in the town, particularly as over the five years since it was promised, Welshpool Town Council has spent, with the help of grants, £300,000 on upgrading the Tourist Information Centre Building.

But the recent financial headaches caused by the survey conducted on the Town Hall that identified millions of pounds was needed for work has had a major impact on the Town Council’s plans.

So, councillors agreed to move forward with their investigations, with a Tesco-style camera system preferred that would allow short-term parking for free, but to charge the long-term parkers.

Town Council officers will continue to look at options and report back to the next meeting.