PLANS to give skaters in Dursley a permanent facility have been put on hold while a suitable site is located.

A proposal to install a new skate park on Stroud District Council-owned land in Highfields playing field were scrapped following strong public representation against the plans.

The council's green spaces officer, Ian Soule, held a meeting in August to discuss the plans with Dursley Town Council.

At the meeting it was decided Highfields was no longer a viable option.

In a letter to last week's town council meeting Mr Soule stated: "It became clear at the meeting that due to local residents' concerns over problems associated with such facilities it would be necessary to find an alternative site in the Dursley area.

"As discussed, there was a suggestion that skateboarding facilities could be provided on the recreation field."

Mr Soule added that before the plan can be developed, the town council needs to confirm if it would be happy to see a skate park on the recreation ground.

Chairman of the town's recreation and gardens committee Cllr Joyce Broomhall said residents adjacent to the site needed to be consulted.

"We cannot give an immediate answer to this proposal as there are certain factors that need to be taken into consideration," she said. "We need to survey residents, get more information about the facility and find out from the district council who would be responsible for the ongoing maintenance."

The council has obtained £18,000 in grants for the facility. Developers of the former Mawdsleys site, Westbury Homes, gave £10,000, Stroud District Council's housing department pledged £2,000 and £6,000 has been granted by the District council's regeneration fund.

Cllr Brian Marsh, who has been instrumental in obtaining the funding for the new facility, said he was hoping to see a decision sooner rather than later.

"We have the funding in place and this could be an excellent facility for the town," he added. "If we don't get on and do it Dursley will lose out again."

The council is to look into the proposal before responding to the district council. Letters of consultation were due to go out to homes in Kingshill and The Knapp late last week.