PROTESTERS have forced a rethink on the location of a £110,000 skatepark in Trowbridge.

People living near the earmarked site in Stallards Park have forced council officers to draw up a shortlist of alternative locations after making their objections clear.

Noise levels, escalating crime and litter were among a list of concerns outlined by residents living in Linden Place and Innox Road.

A planning application for the park has been deferred until October for the town council to draw up a list of alternative sites.

Five other potential locations are in the running, including the town park, Elm Grove Farm and playing fields in either Seymour, The Grove or Lambrok.

Sports and community officer Steve Nash is evaluating the suitability of each site, to be debated by councillors at a meeting on October 19.

BMX biker Julian Seviour, 36, who helped launch the skatepark campaign, said Stallards was the ideal location for the facility.

"If the skatepark was located further towards the train station it would be away from all the houses," he said.

"I cannot see what the problem is as the ramps will be sunk into the ground. It is better than having kids on the street.

"The children need to see some decisions to believe this park is going to happen.

"I was in two minds whether to go banging on doors to ask people why they were opposed to the location.

"The reason why we don't want it on an estate is we want all the children to feel the facility is for them.

"The old Tesco site would have been ideal. Perhaps Roman Abramovich will give us the money to buy the site."

Mr Nash said only publicly-owned sites could be considered to stop costs escalating further.

"People keep asking about the old Tesco site but it is not our land. It would increase our costs right across the board," he said.

"I am now doing an evaluation of the pros and cons of each site.

"I am sure we would

get some form of protest wherever we decided to locate the park.

"We are trying everything within our power to make sure there is the minimum amount of impact.

"Whatever site we choose it will be covered by CCTV cameras and regularly patrolled by police."

Cllr Jeff Osborn said it was important to get the location right.

"Rather than going off half-cocked we want a fully fledged park in a proper location," he said.