Tenby’s Skate Park Association intend to push on with an idea to relocate the children’s play area to Battery Gardens to allow for further expansion of the skate park facility.

Discussing the matter recently at a meeting of the town council, Deputy Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Brown acknowledged the fact that there was some public opposition to shifting the skate park to the Battery Gardens site, but wondered if Pembrokeshire County Council would consider moving the play equipment to that location to free up all of the Jubilee site for development of an extension to the skate facility.

She recently told her fellow councillors that they were struggling to find a contractor to redevelop the current skate park area at the Jubilee due to a lack of space.

Two years ago members of the town council were presented with five different concept plans for an enhancement of Battery Gardens, mooted by the county council, that would possibly see a ‘Gorsedd’ style stone circle placed in the middle of the site.

PCC had proposed that the project could all be achievable within a budget of between £20,000 and £25,000, if match funded by the town council, but the plans left councillors and the ‘Regeneration Team’ with mixed feelings, and the project hasn’t materialised since.

Speaking at a meeting of the ‘Regeneration Team’ this month, PCC’s regeneration manager, Sinead Henehan noted that the plan for the enhancement of Battery Gardens had not progressed due to issues between the town council and the Authority over areas to be included in any proposed lease, and the funding available as part of the regeneration grant scheme had subsequently been reallocated.

She stressed that PCC would not be happy with either proposal for the play park or skate facility being moved to Battery Gardens, as there had been no public consultation to indicate that there was a public desire to undertake either idea and there would be concern about the loss of shared play opportunities.

In correspondence on the matter to the town council, PCC’s director of development Dr Steven Jones said that from a general play perspective, the county council sees merit in retaining an integrated one-site play offer as there was evidence that peer monitoring is beneficial.

“If the town council remains interested in the Battery Gardens we’d need to revisit the work to lease the gardens and the walls. My recollection is that the town council were not prepared to take on responsibility for the walls,” he said.

In addition, he stated that there would be road safety issues associated with any split site provision.

Responding to the comments from PCC respresenatives, Clr. Mrs. Brown told her fellow members at Tuesday night’s meeting that the play park and skate park should be classed as separate entities.

“Firstly, it wasn’t a proposal, consultation will take place once the Skate Park Association comes up with a design plan that we are happy with, then a firm proposal would be made,” she remarked.

“It’s the wrong thing to say that they are ‘shared play opportunities’ too, they are both different things, with the skate park considered more of a sporting facility.

“The toddler park is used by under 5s and the skate park by kids eights years and over mainly. We get up to 40 to 50 regular scooter and skaters up there. It is well used and it is getting to the stage where something has to be done to expand the facility.”

Clr. Mrs. Brown said that she also didn’t understand any concerns about road safety issues between the Jubilee and Battery Gardens.

“The skate park in Pembroke Dock has got two separate sides, one private and the other on PCC land, so if they can do it there, we can do it in Tenby. If the kids are accompanied, then it is feasible,” she continued.

“I’m still of the belief that we can move the play park to Battery Gardens. We had a meeting last night of the Skate Park Association, yes it will cost an awful lot of money, but there are funding opportunities there for children’s facilities.

“Once we have designs and proposals sorted, then it’s something we intend to push on with,” added Clr. Mrs. Brown.

The town clerk Andrew Davies told members that the biggest cost would be the shifting of the play equipment to Battery Gardens, as it is concreted in, but noted that it has been done in other locations.