CHIPPENHAM youngsters deserve better treatment than they have been getting over the past two years. They deserve good skatepark facilities and an apology for this unacceptable delay.

Congratulations to the council, they had the right place and the right facilities in the first instance a free skatepark in a public park in the centre of the town.

More than 500 visitors used this facility on a good day and none on a wet day.

The local neighbours complained about the noise and their complaint was deemed acceptable in arbitration, although it was obviously less than the noise from the open air swimming pool which used to be on the same site.

The answer I suggest is not to look for a new site, this one is ideal, but to rebuild a first class skatepark on the same site and construct an open sided cover over the whole area.

Yes it would be expensive, but our future is worth it.

The noise would be lessened and the facility could be used in all weather.

Good examples of suitable roofs can be seen at the slide in Bowood or the visitors' centre at Westonbirt.

If the neighbours still complain it will bring into question the validity of their payments on the noise issue perhaps they could return them.

Or we could plant a couple of rows of Lleylandi first along the top, but it would be a shame to block their private gates or spoil their view just to lessen the sound of children enjoying themselves.

Chippenham is a first class town with some first class facilities.

We need to think of the young people and the future of the town.

If we consider that our rates and Government allocations are based on headcounts, then our youth have a right to a fair share of these monies.

It could attract National Lottery funding, Borough Lands money, or even the surplus on the sale of Goldiggers.

We need to stop procrastinating, and go for this project now.

Already two years have been lost and our youngsters are growing up fast.

DICK STANGER

Chippenham