Red tapes put brakes on skaters, say locals

Facilities: Volunteers frustrated in efforts to build youth park

Volunteers claim they have been unable to start work on a new skatepark due to council red tape – three years after they were given planning consent.

The Bervie Skate Park Committee says it was forced to hand back £13,000 in charity funding because Aberdeenshire Council has yet to give it the lease for the site, despite backing the scheme in 2015.

The facility – which would cater for skaters and bikers – would be built in Bervie’s William Eddie Park.

Yesterday, the chairwoman of the committee which helped to make the ambition a reality claimed the village had been left “high and dry” by the authority.

Audrey Forbes said: “We have jumped through hoops to get everything sorted out.

“We had to give back £13,000 from the Tullo Windfarm fund because you have to use it within a year – and we didn’t have the lease.

“We’re now in the process of applying for £100,000 and think we would have a good chance of getting it, but we don’t have the lease so will probably miss out.

“It would only take about three months to build the park but we’ve had to wait three years with no real answer from the council. Someone has taken a decision in some office somewhere and left us high and dry.

“The people of Inverbervie have been marvellous. Everyone has supported this and given us money but we’re standing here with nothing.

“But it’s not just about Bervie. This would also be for the kids of Gourdon, Kinneff, Catterline and Arbuthnott. They don’t have anything like this unless they travel to Stonehaven.”

Mearns councillor George Carr said he was “ashamed” of the council .

He said: “It’s disappointing beyond belief that this hasn’t been progressed by now.

“It was approved in 2015 and council officers were tasked with drawing up a lease for the skatepark.

“I’m concerned about the reputational damage this is causing the council, through the failure to deliver something that should be fairly simple.

“It’s particularly worrying that a project like this for youngsters and with so many volunteers and community support – something which is right at the essence of Aberdeenshire – has been let down so badly.

“I’m actually quite ashamed of the council in how they’ve handled this.”

“Someone has taken a decision and left us high and dry”

Photograph by Kenny Elrick ALL STATIONARY: Audrey Forbes with grandson Jude Fell, three and Sandra Stuart at the skatepark site.