Watford mayor defends council's skatepark housing plans

The council agreed earlier this month to sell the Lower Derby Road skatepark to allow around 59 homes to be built, but skaters turned up in their numbers to a meeting yesterday (Tuesday, July 14) to oppose the plan.

Charlie Swan, who has led the campaign to keep the skatepark, said it had been his “community” and his “support network” after his dad took his own life, and that many other skaters had found a “home” there. 

“Our objective is clear: we’re asking the council to abandon the housing proposal … and protect the skatepark as an asset of community value,” he said.

Lower Deby Road skatepark in Watford. Credit: Google Maps

“That does not mean we oppose housing. It means we oppose sacrificing this particular community space when other options exist and its loss would be permanent.

“Young people are told not to stay indoors, not to loiter and not to get into trouble, while free spaces available to them keep disappearing.

“The council cannot keep removing spaces where young people can exist, and then act surprised when they exist somewhere less convenient.”

• Former Watford skatepark set to be sold to housing developer
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Lower Derby Road skatepark was officially closed by the council in 2021 after they built a new skatepark at Oxhey Activity Park, but it has continued to be used by skaters.

The site was allocated for housing the council’s 2022 Local Plan, which acts as the blueprint for future development in the area, and earlier this month the authority agreed to go ahead with plans to sell the site to a developer. 

Mr Swan suggested that there are safety concerns around the recently built skatepark at Oxhey Activity Park, and said: “People regularly cross active riding lines, and I’ve personally witnessed accidents and near misses caused by that layout.”

(Image: Watford Borough Council)

But Mr Taylor (LD), the mayor of Watford, said the council had “worked with the skateboarding community really closely” during the development of the Activity Park skatepark, and would “very happily work with skaters [again] to make it an even better facility for those people who use it”.

He continued: “We have 250 families currently in temporary accommodation. We can’t ignore the fact that we have a housing crisis. 

“We … recognise our moral obligation to build affordable houses for local families.

“I know sometimes that means really, really difficult things, but we consulted very widely on our Local Plan … there was never any hiding the fact that this was part of our Local Plan.”

The council “recognised the importance of community”, Mr Taylor added.

Derby Road Skate Park (Image: Contribution)

Cllr Glen Saffery, cabinet member for planning, said he “sympathised” with Mr Swan but added that young people were struggling to get onto the housing ladder in Watford.

“These are the sort of decisions that we have to make as politicians, and that’s very difficult sometimes, but there are huge benefits to this scheme that will benefit young people in the future.”

The leader of the Labour opposition group, Cllr Nigel Bell, said it would be “wrong” to “dismiss” the concerns raised by “disappointed” skaters, and asked whether money from the skatepark sale would be put towards alternative facilities for young people.

Mr Taylor responded: “Watford Borough Council is not responsible for youth services, but I think the broader point about sport and parks and green spaces, we’ve clearly made that a priority.”

He added that the council’s plan showed their desire to invest in sports and parks in the town, including through better basketball and cricket facilities.