'Grey power's bitter blow' to skatepark

The project was defeated yesterday following a narrow vote in which rebel Labour city councillor Chris Wigglesworth joined forces with the opposition to defeat it.

Residents who had fought a campaign to stop the plans, claiming it would be built on a local beauty spot at Inverleith Park, welcomed the decision.

But Edinburgh's tourism and culture leader, Donald Anderson, who had been a keen supporter of the skatepark, described the decision as "a victory for grey power" and said it was "a matter of shame and regret" that the plans had been thrown out.

"I regard this as a bitter blow for the skateboarders in Edinburgh, whose dreams have again been shattered," the former council leader said. "This is clearly a victory for 'grey power' as we were unable to persuade members of the local community that a skatepark is simply another type of recreation facility.

"Half of the objectors to the proposal stated that they did not want a skatepark facility anywhere in the city. I regard this as deeply worrying because skateboarders are well-behaved and all the evidence suggests they cause no problems for the communities in which skateparks are based."

The scheme had attracted a record 2,686 submissions from the public, 1,485 of whom supported the plan. The planning committee voted against the recommendation of city officials and convener Trevor Davies, who argued strongly in favour on the grounds it was a "recreational facility being built on recreational land".

Mr Wigglesworth said he had been unconvinced by an about-turn by planning officials, who had recommended refusing what he described as "almost identical" plans 18 months ago.

He said: "Last year the department said it was concerned about the visual impact of the development on the park and I didn't see how they could justify changing that advice."

Michael Dixon, the Tory councillor whose ward covers Inverleith Park, said: "The council has tried to bash an oversized square peg into a round hole by trying to create an international-standard sports facility, that aspired to be one of the best in Europe, in a local park. "The council was also talking about dumping a piece of urban landscape into a piece of green open space."

The skatepark was intended to be suitable for BMX bikes, in-line skates and skateboards and would have featured ramps, steps and rails plus bowl and half-pipe features.

It would have covered an area of 37 metres by 69 metres, surrounded by a 1.1m high fence. CCTV cameras and floodlighting would have been installed to discourage anti-social behaviour.

Sam Pattison, of the Edinburgh Skatepark Project, said: "We feel we have been victims of nimbyism. Some of the arguments against the skatepark were vitriolic and downright offensive and people were really clutching at straws in a bid to get it kicked out."