New skate park Options

[Iommi]

37 in school holidays then Richard Garvie?

[Richard Garvie]

Hold your horses Dannyboy...

I believe I said "My point is, there is very little though process beyond the "lets build a skate park" for "the yoofs" by the council." I can be positive, and I have shown how money can be spent on something similar that benefits a lot more people and creates an attraction for the area. My point being that the existing councillors need to look beyond their current perception.

If I was not in opposition, I would have asked the council to refer the decision whilst a cross party groups of members explored if something similar to Adrenaline Alley could be created here.

Danny you need to pay closer attention to detail in other peoples postings before you go off on a tangent. I'm very supportive of youth facilities and provision for youngsters withing the area. My biggest issue with the local authority is that they believe simply handing out cash with no detailed thought process isn't just bad for the authority in the long term (as projects may need to be revisited in the future), but there are a lot of missed oppurtunities to attract funding from other sources and create facilities that don't just appeal to the core users, but attract other youngsters into the projects.

[dannyboy]

Yes Richard Garvie, less of the pejorative vernacular if you don't mind!

He'll be out buying an Arctic Monkeys album next

[Richard Garvie]

37 "unique" service users.

[Richard Garvie]

He'll be out buying an Arctic Monkeys album next

Not really my thing. Working in local radio for ten years has meant my tastes are more Katy Perry, John Parr and Michael jackson!!! I am only 26, so don't think it's me describing youngsters as "yoofs", that is the perception of existing councillors!!!

[dannyboy]

Hold your horses Dannyboy...

I believe I said "My point is, there is very little though process beyond the "lets build a skate park" for "the yoofs" by the council." I can be positive, and I have shown how money can be spent on something similar that benefits a lot more people and creates an attraction for the area. My point being that the existing councillors need to look beyond their current perception.

If I was not in opposition, I would have asked the council to refer the decision whilst a cross party groups of members explored if something similar to Adrenaline Alley could be created here.

Danny you need to pay closer attention to detail in other peoples postings before you go off on a tangent. I'm very supportive of youth facilities and provision for youngsters withing the area. My biggest issue with the local authority is that they believe simply handing out cash with no detailed thought process isn't just bad for the authority in the long term (as projects may need to be revisited in the future), but there are a lot of missed oppurtunities to attract funding from other sources and create facilities that don't just appeal to the core users, but attract other youngsters into the projects.

How do you know what the thought process has been?

The issue here is not creating a new attraction at the expense of an existing & popular one, but the improvement of a popular & beneficial facility.

Adrenaline alley costs £20.00 a year & £7.00 a day to use. It is in a totally different league to what the Council are planning. Just to watch you have to pay £1.00

[Richard Garvie]

Hear Hear!

Hopefully some of the users of the existing park will have a say in what they'd like to see.

I would have thought they would of been the first people consulted before a funding an application was put together. Are you actually saying that the council has allocated £200k for a project that has not even consulted the very people who would use it??? EXCELLENT!!!

Here's an offer... Why not work with me to create a facility like Adrenaline Alley??? I'm already pretty far down the line to finding premises and with the 200k funding it would be much better than I ever imagined. An indoor skate park, music studios, a hang out zone and educational suite for use by sexual heath teams, substance abuse teams and any community groups who wish to work with young people???

EDIT: Before User23 pipes up asking if I'm a skateboarder, no I'm not!!! I just believe that creating a proper youth facility would be more benefitial than just spending money for spending sake.

[Richard Garvie]

How do you know what the thought process has been?

The issue here is not creating a new attraction at the expense of an existing & popular one, but the improvement of a popular & beneficial facility.

Adrenaline alley costs £20.00 a year & £7.00 a day to use. It is in a totally different league to what the Council are planning. Just to watch you have to pay £1.00

Could an outdoor facility be used in the snow, gales or heavy rain??? As an indoor facility, people could use it all year round. Surely charging could be dictated locally??? If it was set up as a youth trust, funding could be secured from elsewhere which would mean charging was limited. If people want to come from other areas to use the facility, yes charge them £7. But for local users to pay a £20 membership fee and use as much as they like throughout the year is reasonable. Not sure what the point of charging for spectators is???

I'm just saying, a facility like Adrenaline Alley would be a community asset. Maybe we could meet up Danny todiscuss this, and possibly pay a visit to the current facility??? If there are repairs needed to the existing one, I'm sure it wouldn't cost too much. By creating a youth trust, a grant could be applied for to repair the existing one so that there is an outdoor facility for summer use???

If there has been a thought process, what was it???

[dannyboy]

I would have thought they would of been the first people consulted before a funding an application was put together. Are you actually saying that the council has allocated £200k for a project that has not even consulted the very people who would use it??? EXCELLENT!!!

Here's an offer... Why not work with me to create a facility like Adrenaline Alley??? I'm already pretty far down the line to finding premises and with the 200k funding it would be much better than I ever imagined. An indoor skate park, music studios, a hang out zone and educational suite for use by sexual heath teams, substance abuse teams and any community groups who wish to work with young people???

EDIT: Before User23 pipes up asking if I'm a skateboarder, no I'm not!!! I just believe that creating a proper youth facility would be more benefitial than just spending money for spending sake.

I'm not saying that they haven't been consulted at all. Rather pointless asking teenagers what they'd like if there is no money to spend.
Get the cash, & then see what can be done with it.

Why not support the scheme to replace the Waterside Centre instead?

The Adrenaline Alley is a charity & a limited company btw. Corby Council donated £15,000

[Richard Garvie]

I'm not saying that they haven't been consulted at all. Rather pointless asking teenagers what they'd like if there is no money to spend.
Get the cash, & then see what can be done with it.

Why not support the scheme to replace the Waterside Centre instead?

The Adrenaline Alley is a charity & a limited company btw. Corby Council donated £15,000

A Newbury facility could be set up as a youth trust, and with support from the council of £200k would be in a much better position than Adrenaline Alley!!! The Waterside Centre could be housed within this proposed facility, which is what I have been privately looking at and trying to make as a viable proposal. The fact that NTC are prepared to donate £200k for a skating project would make the whole thing viable.

Why is it pointless asking teenagers what they want??? Are they not capable of thinking for themselves??? Maybe they would have told you they wanted an indoor facility??? I know the people I spoke to at the current facility said they often travel to use other facilities (including the one in Corby). As for the "get the cash and then decide" approach, maybe this is why our area is having so many bum decisions made. We need to start leading with vision and policy, rather than "make it up as we go".

[dannyboy]

A Newbury facility could be set up as a youth trust, and with support from the council of £200k would be in a much better position than Adrenaline Alley!!! The Waterside Centre could be housed within this proposed facility, which is what I have been privately looking at and trying to make as a viable proposal. The fact that NTC are prepared to donate £200k for a skating project would make the whole thing viable.

Why is it pointless asking teenagers what they want??? Are they not capable of thinking for themselves??? Maybe they would have told you they wanted an indoor facility??? I know the people I spoke to at the current facility said they often travel to use other facilities (including the one in Corby). As for the "get the cash and then decide" approach, maybe this is why our area is having so many bum decisions made. We need to start leading with vision and policy, rather than "make it up as we go".

Pointless asking them if there is no cash. Without cash it is all just a pipe dream, a vision. Securing funding is the key in any project. Why waste cash on consultants, architects, designs if there is no funding to build?

And now you are saying it is being made up as we go?

Corby, due to the nature of the massive regeneration programme there, is nothing like Newbury, as you well know.

[Darren]

Wow. Blue touch paper well and truly lit

*pulls up comfy chair and popcorn*

That £200K could have been used better, to provide facilities for the wider youth community rather than for a very specific group of "Sk8er Boi". Upgrade the play area next to if for instance

Not only that, but you have the widely publicised cracks issue in the park. Surely it's better to get that sorted out first, then do building rather than charge in now, build it, then find the cracks get worse, demolish it as unsafe, then wonder where all the money has gone.

At least the Bandstand will get a lick of paint.

[Richard Garvie]

The only thing different is social demographics. Adrenaline alley started as a mobile skate ramp at Rockingham Motor Speedway. The kids behind it campaigned for funding to build a skate park, and organisations got involved to ensure it was a facility that would appeal to a wider catchment with additional facilities. Corby doesn't have any other skate facilities.

You say you're not making it up as you go, but in the same post you say:

Pointless asking them if there is no cash. Without cash it is all just a pipe dream, a vision. Securing funding is the key in any project. Why waste cash on consultants, architects, designs if there is no funding to build?

WHY IS IT POINTLESS asking service users what they want??? Adrenaline Alley did not waste cash on architechs and consultants, so why should anyone here??? The point is, find out what these people want, find out if it is affordable and then work towards creating it. Not apply for £200k without asking what they want and if you even need that much. That my friend IS making it up as you go, and hardly value for money for the taxpayer or an example of acting on the interests of service users.

[dannyboy]

The only thing different is social demographics. Adrenaline alley started as a mobile skate ramp at Rockingham Motor Speedway. The kids behind it campaigned for funding to build a skate park, and organisations got involved to ensure it was a facility that would appeal to a wider catchment with additional facilities. Corby doesn't have any other skate facilities.

You say you're not making it up as you go, but in the same post you say:

Pointless asking them if there is no cash. Without cash it is all just a pipe dream, a vision. Securing funding is the key in any project. Why waste cash on consultants, architects, designs if there is no funding to build?

WHY IS IT POINTLESS asking service users what they want??? Adrenaline Alley did not waste cash on architechs and consultants, so why should anyone here??? The point is, find out what these people want, find out if it is affordable and then work towards creating it. Not apply for £200k without asking what they want and if you even need that much. That my friend IS making it up as you go, and hardly value for money for the taxpayer or an example of acting on the interests of service users.

rewording the same argument does not make it any more valid.

AA didn't end up wasting cash as they got the project funded for reasons that do not apply in Newbury. If the project had not come to fruition, then it would have been cash wasted.

[Richard Garvie]

No, AA had a vision and applied for funding based on that vision. It would seem that NTC are prepared to hand out cash on a whim, I'm sure facilities like AA would love that level of support from a town council!!!

I challenge you and your council friends to meet me at the current facility at 5pm, we can have a little chat with the service users (if any are there) and ask them what sort of facility they would like to see with that level of funding???

[dannyboy]

No, AA had a vision and applied for funding based on that vision. It would seem that NTC are prepared to hand out cash on a whim, I'm sure facilities like AA would love that level of support from a town council!!!

I challenge you and your council friends to meet me at the current facility at 5pm, we can have a little chat with the service users (if any are there) and ask them what sort of facility they would like to see with that level of funding???

Now your struggling.

Why would you or I want to waste our & the skateboarders time by asking them what to do with £200k?

And 'council friends'?

[Gumbo]

Has any money been allocated to update the woefully inadequate/out of date/potentially lethal playground equipment in the park, which I know is used by far more people than the skatepark?

[Richard Garvie]

I believe the Coalition Government have axed spending on playparks from local authority budgets.

Struggling? Why would skaters not what to be consulted!!! The problem with all public spending in West Berkshire is that it's allocated on the views of a very small number of people that have probably never even tried a skateboard!!! I know that I have never been brave enough to try either boards or skates in the fear of hurting myself!!! I much prefer go karts!!

[Gumbo]

I believe the Coalition Government have axed spending on playparks from local authority budgets.

Struggling? Why would skaters not what to be consulted!!! The problem with all public spending in West Berkshire is that it's allocated on the views of a very small number of people that have probably never even tried a skateboard!!! I know that I have never been brave enough to try either boards or skates in the fear of hurting myself!!! I much prefer go karts!!

So how has this £200000 come about and who has decided it should be spent on a few teenagers with a penchant for rolling around on a plank of wood with wheels attached to it? sorry if I am not up with the programme on this.

[Richard Garvie]

Newbury Town Council have decided to award £200k to replace the existing ramps. I think the level of commitment is a positive, but the whole lack of thought process behind it baffles me. Why would you apply for £200k with no idea of how you would spend it??? It would seem the service users are completely out of the loop on this!!!