Chinnor Skate Park Approved After Planning Row

FOLLOWING a 15 year wait, young people in Chinnor should be getting their skate park at last.
On Wednesday, South Oxfordshire District Council?s Planning committee discussed a request by Chinnor Parish Council to establish change of use from agricultural to a skate park on a field between Chinnor and Emmington.
Planning officers had recommended refusal of the application on the grounds that it would constitute an ‘unsustainable form of development that would extend into open countryside and detract from the rural character and appearance of the area.’ The plan would also, they said, be contrary to the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan and the Local Plan 2011, second deposit draft; ?A very severe breach of planning policy,? said one fuming planning officer.
After a very lively debate and discussion, the decision was overturned by the committee who approved the plan.

One of the local District Councillors who spoke in support of the skate park, told ThameNews.Net: ?The committee listened carefully to the arguments put forward by the representatives of Chinnor PC, local District Councillors and members of the public.
?The decision was greeted with much pleasure by the Chinnor representatives who now feel that they have a place where young people can play in fresh air, in the open countryside in safety.?

Chinnor?s Cllr Linda Cameron, told ThameNews: ?The kids have waited a very long time for this. We appreciate that this site, outside of the village and near a busy road, is not the ideal place and that a risk assessment will have to be done. We may, for instance, have to provide a cycle path to make it safer than it is. One of the conditions attached to the planning permission is that we keep the path clear.
?We are determined that although the skate park will be in the countryside, it will hopefully not be a blot on the landscape; we plan to provide hedging and trees to screen out noise.?

Fifteen year-old Josh Siler a pupil of Lord Williams?s school, told ThameNews.Net: ?This is great news. It would have been nice if the skate park could have been in a better place but it?s basically only about a 10 minute walk from Chinnor and it will be worth it to be able to practice what to us is our sport. We?re really grateful to Sue Brooks and all the others that have worked on our behalf for this.?

It is understood that the decision may be taken to full Cabinet.