By Graham Brown

MONTROSE SKATEPARK campaigners’ hopes of seeing seven years of hard work realised were sunk last night after an eleventh hour U-turn over the planned £85,000 facility.

Instead of the scheme progressing, councillors sent the project back to the drawing board after pulling the plug on the proposed site.

Councillor Mark Salmond’s motion to abandon the site—given planning permission in October 2006—and instead look at other possible locations drew bitter recriminations from skate group supporters who angrily rejected his view that a new venue will be a “win win” for everyone.

Despite Mr Salmond’s promise the project could receive extra financial support from a new fund set up this week as part of the Alliance’s budget, and fast-tracked through the planning process, skate committee campaigners now fear the project has been left dead in the water, with almost £25,000 of lottery funding also sunk.

Steve Findlater, a driving force behind the plan, said he was “gutted.”

He and fellow campaigners had gone to the Forfar meeting of Angus Council’s neighbourhood services committee yesterday afternoon hoping to see elected members rubber stamp a report seeking tenders from six contractors for the park at Marine Avenue.

Also at the meeting were residents of houses close to the planned site, who claim the skate park would blight their lives.

It emerged that Alliance councillor David May had met with skatepark committee members earlier this week to propose two alternative sites.

Both sites were rejected as unsuitable, but Mr Salmond said he was of the firm view that Marine Avenue was not the best option.

“I personally believe that the current location chosen for this project is not the appropriate site.

“I am adamant that a skatepark will be delivered for the Montrose skatepark committee, but it must be acceptable to all parties.”

He continued, “It would be crazy to sink the concrete in the ground at Marine Avenue when it is obvious that the skatepark will never be given the chance to succeed.

“I am happy to publicly say that the Angus Alliance will deliver a skatepark for Montrose,” continued Mr Salmond.

“I would ask the skatepark committee to look at the bigger picture—this is a win-win situation for all the parties.”

Backing Mr Salmond, Mr May said he had told the skatepark group this week he thought it unlikely the Alliance group would support the Marine Avenue site, but he refuted suggestions any ruling party decision had been taken ahead of yesterday’s meeting.

His apology for “misguiding” skate group officials cut no ice with opposition SNP councillors, who launched an all-out attack on the handling of the issue.

“I cannot believe what I have heard today, and after the hard work over seven years which has been carried out by the skatepark committee to get to where they are today they know that the feet have been ‘ca’d’ from under them,” said Montrose councillor Sandy West.

“I make the prediction that neither councillor Salmond nor councillor May will be able to walk up Montrose High Street and hold their head up in the air after this.

“I must ask the administration members to consider the stigma that’s going to be placed on the Angus Alliance if they refuse this motion.”

Councillor Frank Ellis called the move an “absolute cop out.”

“To leave it to the last minute and come up with a spoiling tactic to scupper the whole project is absolutely unforgivable,” he said.

The casting vote of Alliance committee convener Jim Millar sealed the project’s fate after administration colleagues backed Mr Salmond’s re-think motion— with the exception of Arbroath and Letham member David Lumgair, who admitted he had “great difficulty” with the issue.

Following the meeting, Mr Findlater said he did not know if he had the fight left in him to continue to pursue the project.

“I am gutted—pig sick,” he said.

“We’ve got nothing now, and this has been sunk by a very small minority of these residents—it really is very hard to take,” he said.