Skateboarders and rollerskaters have called on the council to allow skating to return to St Peter’s Square to stop antisocial car parking.
The square was opened in autumn 2020, as part of the reworking of road and green space through Valley Gardens. In its first year, it was popular with younger skateboarders and rollerskaters attracted to the flat surface.
Office workers and parents also used the benches in the square to eat their lunch and watch the skaters and boarders.
But in autumn 2021, No Skating signs were put up – and the benches were stolen, with rumours they had been set fire to by street drinkers elsewhere n the city centre.
After the cars started being parked there, some people called for the No Skating signs to be taken down so the square could be reclaimed.
Eva Marie Wilshere said: “I used to love going there to skate, and as a newbie who’s also disabled, I find it more comfortable and easier to visit for roller-skating than anywhere else in Brighton.”
Katy Stoddard said: “It was such a lovely mix of experienced and learner skaters, my daughter for one would never brave the skate park but happily practiced roller-skating and skateboarding there.”
And Charlotte Bray said: “I would love to see it return to a skate-welcoming zone. It was much more friendly and inclusive than the Level and included far more people learning to roller skate. Having benches there meant parents could sit and watch their kids. It had such a great vibe last summer.”
Brighton and Hove City Council last week put up no parking signs and temporary fencing in a bid to stop people parking on the land in Valley Gardens – but nothing has worked.
It said a Christmas tree seller was due to set up there on Thursday – but today, there was nothing in the square but cars.
Brighton and Hove News spoke to three drivers who had parked on the square today. One shrugged as he said he had seen the no parking signs, but everyone else was, and it was “human nature”.
Another said she had just dropped off her bike and didn’t want to park illegally elsewhere.
A third simply walked away.
A council spokesma said: “We put up the No Skating signs in autumn 2021 following complaints about noise nuisance. We have no current plans to remove them.
“Unfortunately some of the benches we installed near St Peter’s church were stolen. We’re not aware of any being burnt.
“Given our current very difficult financial situation we have no current plans to replace them.”
Remove the resin surface and return it to grass and trees.
Yes
If people are parking there illegally then ticket them.i always thought it was to be a social space.so why isn’t it 🤔.
Considering how the skaters have demolished the Level after £2.2m council expenditure to revamp it in 2011, I wouldn’t let them anywhere near this square. They had an area dedicated to them and their needs and they trashed it.
The skatepark hasn’t been “demolished” by the skaters in the slightest. The company that built it went out of business and thus the 10 year guarantee for wear and tear repairs was no longer valid. This has resulted in skaters spending their own money on materials to repair it because the council have no budget for this.
Concrete skateparks wear, especially in this climate. Water freezes and causes the concrete to expand, creating cracks that the guarantee was supposed to fix.
Maybe you’d be better doing some research about these things before condemning a community that has deep roots within this cities history.
More lefty Bullshit who the hell cares about skaters
I’ve always liked seeing the skaters.
Another colossal F-up brought to you by BHCC and the Greens
Umm, you know it’s not a Green Council anymore right?
Although it isn’t illegal to park on the pavement, outside London, it is illegal to DRIVE on the pavement.
Therefore the Council should be asking Sussex Police to enforce or patrol these as traffic offences as an interim measure.
I’m sure of couple of points or fines will deter these drivers away. Job done!!!!
How dare anybody park for free in Brighton and Hove ….
Parking on surfaces not designed for the weight will create a problem. Look at the broken pavement slabs. That’s just the visible sign of selfish destruction. Underground conduits get damaged causing problems for drainage and flooding. I think a fair solution is to allow skaters to skate over any parked car. If you’re selfish enough to destroy public land with your antiquated tin box, you shouldn’t have a problem with other people doing the same to your penis substitute.
Completely agree
Let the kids skate again, god what sort of country is this that people can’t just do things that have literally zero impact on others.
As for the parking, private land, trespassing, have them impounded and crushed if not collected and heavy fine paid. Plenty of parking around the area, don’t like paying for parking then catch a bus.
The skateboarders are a menace with many almost being hit by passing traffic, much of which are buses. They’re a danger not only to themselves but others around them. There’s a skate park 2 minutes up the road in the Level. I’ve witnessed so many almost run over by buses as they fall of their skateboards pratting about by the roadside kerbs. Bring back fencing too!
Skaters and skateboarders may seem the same thing to you, but they are hugely different activities each with their own style, culture, behaviours and use of space.
As indicated in the article, it is skaters – young girls and their mums – wanting to use this space as there is no other comparable skate area in the city. The Level skateboard park and the behaviour of skateboarders is just not relevant here. Skating is a really diverse, graceful and physically beneficial activity which has a strong uptake amongst women and girls and LGBT+ communities and should be encouraged and supported by our council – not banned because of night time noise nuisance caused by others.
I only mentioned skateboarders though? Perhaps you should re read my post. At no point did I say skaters were an issue.
find a related article to vent your spleen on then?
Totally agree, it used to have a great buzz with people of all ages enjoying the space. To spend our council tax money on signs telling people to stop doing just that is really backward and of course a total waste of cash.
Bringing back skateboarders who will be a danger to pedestrians to a prime central Brighton space by a park is not the answer.
I think you’ll find that the no skating signs don’t have any enforcement powers, just as the “no parking” don’t on this site currently. They are just requests. There is no apparent enforcement. What rules/laws are being broken skating at this point? What are the penalties? Sign doesn’t say, and I suspect there are none.
Motorists have become experts in enforcement rules – finding gaps in signage and powers. Increasingly the rest of us are having to as well.
Put the benches back this council has enough money it just spends it on two many staff that sit on inflated subsidised pensions that moan about being under paid and who are completely unproductive. Having worked with LA’s for many years I can say BHCC is one of the most inefficient worse run authorities I have ever come across. This space is perfect for kids and adults that want to chill and skate they do no harm unlike the bloody street drinkers the majority of who don’t come from Brighton and use the city like a public toilet. Motorists shouldn’t park there but please note that without motorists parking fines and on parking payments the city council would be bust