RESIDENTS are mobilising forces to oppose a new skateboard park.
Young skaters want to develop a park in an old quarry off Taylor Hill Road and Station Road at Berry Brow.
About 30 youngsters are hoping to create the park and have commissioned a feasibility study funded by Kirklees Council.
But residents on Taylor Hill Road, Station Road and Birch Road have formed a committee and are planning to write to Kirklees Council with their objections.
Mrs Alison Brown, committee secretary, said: "The area is overgrown with a lot of wildlife, like owls and bats.
"There are many reasons why local residents are not happy about the idea of a skateboard park there.
"It is not that we are against the idea - we just do not think it is a suitable location for it."
Mrs Brown has two daughters aged 13 and 10 who both have skateboards themselves.
"We realise that young people need somewhere to go," she said.
"But we feel that with this being a residential area, it is the wrong location for a skateboard park."
Mrs Brown says the committee feels the park would be better suited to a conventional recreation ground, similar to the one in Greenhead Park.
"We believe that there is some recreational land in Newsome that has come available," said Mrs Brown.
"There are some tennis courts at Stile Common and some land at Dawson Road, Newsome."
Mrs Brown said there were worries that the skateboard park would not be supervised.
"At youth clubs, the sessions are held for different age groups. We are worried that younger children may get pushed out if it is just a free-for-all."
Mrs Brown said that if the park was built in Berry Brow, it should have a security guard after 9pm to ensure it remained empty.
"We are worried about the sort of people it may attract," she said.
"It is not an open area and people will not be able to see into or out of it.
"Drug dealers may visit the site."
She added: "We are worried from an insurance point of view. Who is going to fund insurance if a child has an accident down there and puts in a claim - and if you want to submit a claim who do you claim to?"
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