Southwater skate park to be rebuilt after fire

The application, from Southwater Parish Council, seeks permission to set up steel-framed equipment in Ben’s Field, Stakers Lane, in place of the timber-framed structure which burned down in August 2020.

The land is owned by the district council and the recommendation from planning officers is to approve the application.

The decision will be made at a meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday December 7.

A report to the committee said the new structure would measure 20m by 13.8m and would include a variety of ramps, pipes, wall-rides, jump boxes, sub boxes and decks, all similar to the original skate park.

The highest point would be 3.5m with the flat decks measuring 1.7m to 2.3m high.

The council received one letter of objection to the plans, with concerns raised about noise, traffic, the possibility of walkers finding the site ‘intimidating’ and how the area would be kept clear of litter and glass.

The report pointed out that the skate park would be at least 96m away from the nearest property.

It added: “Officers are not aware of any reported incidents of noise disturbance to the previously approved scheme or issues with additional traffic.

“The route to the skate park is not accessible to vehicles and users can only access the skate park via foot.

“It is acknowledged however that the re-building of the site will bring more people to the location once again and this can naturally bring with it unwelcome antisocial behaviour if no control measures are put in place.”

A condition has been suggested, which requires the parish council to submit a Noise Management Plan setting out the management responsibilities during opening hours, as well as measures to control noise and disturbance.

It was also suggested that a management team be created and regular inspections of the site timetabled.

To view the application, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/21/0845.