Burnside Council to conduct feasibility study for multiple skatepark locations after fiery debate over long running saga

Two decades on residents are “at war” over a proposed skatepark and kids aren’t much closer to having their own bowl after another heated debate among councillors.

Residents of the renowned eastern suburbs council are “at war” as a result of a “lack of leadership” regarding a long-awaited skatepark, according to a Burnside councillor.

Fierce debate broke out during Tuesday night’s council meeting with superlatives thrown, “highly unusual” changes to the council agenda and frustrations boiling over.

The skatepark saga, which has been ongoing for 20 years, drew ire from councillor and commercial lawyer Henry Davis who said the continued controversy was a result of the council going about the proposal in the “wrong way”.

“I think this is a great example of what not to do,” he said.

“We now have a community at war. It’s resident against resident and, in my view, that’s because of a lack of leadership.”

Supplied Editorial Fwd: Burnside Council

The “war” spilled into the streets in a deputation from Kensington Gardens resident Andrew Denyer who opposed the proposed Kensington Gardens Reserve location due to the expected noise.

“I suspect the noise from a skateboard grinding on a rail and then the impact of the noise of when it comes off a rail and lands on a hard surface could easily be 80 or 90 decibels … modern portable music players can easily pump out music at over 100 decibels,” he said.

Debate ensued for about two hours with three different motions moved in relation to its proposed location with councillors eventually voting to conduct a feasibility study considering Kensington Park Reserve and the council’s Civic Centre car park plus other alternatives.

Tempers flared with councillor Helga Lemon threatening to issue a code of conduct complaint after a question she was attempting to ask was dismissed.

Councillor Jane Davey claimed she had been told by someone from prestigious Pembroke School it would seek to block any would-be proposal at Kensington Park Reserve.

Councillor Julian Carbone said he had been told the developer who recently handed land at Glenside Basin over to the council would fight the council if a skatepark was proposed at the Fullarton and Greenhill roads site.

Harry, 12, Ryan, 11, Imogen, 12, and Mylo, 10 at Newland Park after Burnside Council went back to the drawing board in November last year. Picture: Matt Loxton

Skate East co-founder Richelle Martin, the proponent group for a skatepark in Burnside, said while the meeting was just another edition in a long drama of drawn-out meetings, it could result in a light at the end of the tunnel.

“For me, there’s never been an image of what the park could look like, but at least there is now the potential for there to be that image,” she said.

“I think what will happen is the council will eventually exhaust every other option until there is only one option left and they will have to go with that.”