Millers Point skate park plan angers residents

A proposal to build a skateboard park in Millers Point has pitted residents against Greens councillors Chris Harris and Irene Doutney.

The site under the approach to the Harbour Bridge is being considered after Lord Mayor Clover Moore voted down a previous plan to locate the facility at Prince Alfred Park.

Millicent Chalmers from the Millers Point Resident Action Group said residents were concerned primarily about the noise effects.

“One of the problems with our area is there’s so much stone and concrete … that the noise reverberates,” she said.

“At one o’ clock in the morning we have people skating up and down Hickson Road, the top end of George Street and so on already.

“Millers Point is a residential area and a lot of people living there are very elderly, and they are very concerned about any more skateboarders.”

Ms Chalmers said the community wasn’t opposing skaters.

“It’s not the kind of people … [And] we’re not saying there shouldn’t be skateboard parks,” she said.

“In fact years ago the resident action group was looking around to try and think of somewhere that would be suitable, but … there was just nowhere that was appropriate.”

Another concern she said was the damage being done to Millers Point, a heritage precinct, already.

“If you walk around you’ll see that the gutters are being worn away and all sorts of features are being damaged, it’s not being done on purpose, it just happens,” she said.

“It’s just not a suitable place, that’s all.”

Greens Councillor Irene Doutney said she was disappointed with the community’s response.

“I’m really disappointed with the incredible amount of objections that we’ve had before we’ve even got to community consultation,” she said.

“It’s only a proposal at this stage and there’s so much prejudice against young people and skateboarders in particular which isn’t necessarily accurate.

“We need to do all the assessments [but] we’re not even getting the chance to do that because the residents are so opposed to it.”

Cr Doutney refuted Ms Chalmers’ claims that it would increase noise.

“There’s already a very large amount of noise from the freeway … the noise from the freeway and the building that’s going on there is already quite extensive,” she said.

“We would look at sound proofing as much as we could … [but] at the moment nobody wants to even consider that we could do things to ameliorate any such noise.”

Greens Councillor Chris Harris said concerned residents should visit the City’s Waterloo skate park.

“Sit there for half an hour on a weekend when there’s lots of kids there and you’ll discover that the noise is just not intrusive,” he said.

“And then the other thing about damage to streetscapes … where [skaters are] going now is Martin Place, which is not built for skaters and the damage that’s done there is because they’ve got nowhere else to go.”

Cr Harris said it was important for the City to provide free facilities to young people.

“They’re an important demographic in our city and we need to pay attention to them,” he said.

“I just really think that a lot of this stuff is borne out of ‘not in my backyard’, it’s really uninformed and there’s a bit of prejudice there as well.

“They’re just kids, you know? Having a good time.”