Skatepark closed after being declared unsafe

A skatepark in Lee-on-the-Solent has been permanently closed after a council leader said it would be "utterly irresponsible" to re-open.

The park, in Pirates Cove, is near the restaurant On The Water and was temporarily closed in 2022.

Gosport Borough Council heard an independent report into the park found issues of limited space, "terrible" concrete surfacing and ramp safety barriers "not fit for purpose".

Council leader, Peter Chegwyn, raised concerns at a council meeting, stating the park was kept open when it should have been closed.

Cllr Chegwyn told the meeting it had been permanently closed because it was “poorly constructed, poorly designed, unsafe and put in the wrong place”.

He added: “It seems we have safety reports going back many years saying the park is unsafe, saying it needs work. Work that was not done."

The council leader told the meeting the park was originally installed in June 2010, where a splash park is now based.

In 2018, a decision was then made to move the skate park further along the seafront.

He said the independent report found in October 2020, safety concerns were raised by the late councillor Maggie Morgan and councillor Philip Raffaelli about the “dangerous” layout.

By October 2021, he said there was a “damning” safety inspection over deterioration and then a few months later papers were drawn up for restoration work, which was never done.

He said: “As a council, we cannot re-open it and you should not be asking for it to be re-opened when it has been declared repeatedly to be unsafe. It would be utterly irresponsible to do so.”

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