BAYSWATER council’s plan to relocate the Wotton Reserve skate park to a nearby spot in the same park has proven predictably unpopular with its skate advisory committee.

The committee fears the new skate park might be smaller if the council spends state government skate funding on unrelated park improvements. 

The skate advisory committee is made up of skaters, BMXers and a few council representatives, and formed to help the council decide where to move the park once it had to be demolished for Metronet train station upgrades. 

The state government is putting $2.5m into the new park.

The committee overwhelmingly favoured Broun Park, but nearby residents objected so a split council voted to relocate it to another spot further south on Wotton Reserve (“Skate park to move despite threats”, Voice, May 1, 2021).

Windmills

That was despite Morley Windmills Soccer Club, who also use Wotton, objecting to the skate park encroaching on its parking space. 

The skate committee met again this week and has thrown a spanner in the works: They passed a resolution pointing out that the Wotton Reserve option involves spending state government money on a carpark more than 250m away from the skatepark that’s intended to appease the Windmills, and on relocating a playground 250m away that’s unrelated to the skate park.

The resolution notes the state gave that $2.5million for the skate park, and the committee “wishes to state our objection to this money being used towards non-skate or BMX related infrastructure”. 

That resolution now goes back to the full council to consider.

Correction: LAST week’s story on the skate park featured an incorrect vote tally, missing out councillor Giorgia Johnson who also voted with the majority keen on the Wotton relocation option.

by DAVID BELL