An underground skate park takes a step closer for Dawlish youth as councillors back the idea in principle. Dawlish Town Council's finance and general purposes committee last week pledged a grant for a youth centre at Sandy Lane. But before a final decision is made on how much they will give – believed to be in the region of £100,000-£150,000 – it will be discussed by all councillors at their next full meeting. Last Thursday, a trustee of Dawlish Action for Youth, Stuart Carson, hoping to secure funding, addressed finance and general purposes members about the need for a substantial youth facility in the town. He said that Dawlish Action for Youth currently owned Youthtopia – a youth centre at Barton Hill car park – but with it having 50m2 of floor space, only 30 to 50 people could be accommodated. 'The building can't cope,' he said. 'And we are desperately in need of more space.' The new 600m2 building at Sandy Lane is planned to be on three floors and have dedicated rooms for music and the arts, games, IT and activities. One of the unique features it will also boast is a permanent underground skate park that can be accessed from the outside via a ramp. Mr Carson said there had been a lot of debate about having a skate park, but there was a definite need. 'When the skate facilities were on the Lawn for Trafalgar Day, kids were travelling from as far as Exminster to use it,' he said. If built, the centre would be situated 60 metres from the boundaries of any residential property, minimising any potential noise nuisance. Environmentally friendly features are also included in the construction: solar water heating, solar electricity and a windcatcher. It will cost between £1-2 million to build, with grants principally from the National Lottery and around 12 other funding bodies, including Devon County Council. Mr Carson said: 'It seems in order to attract funds, especially from the National Lottery, they insist on seeing evidence of local support.' Cllr Tom Bush asked if the youth would be charged to use it? Mr Carson said there would be a season ticket, at £5, available for those from Dawlish, but those coming from outside the town would be charged more. Running costs, such as the £10,000 a year insurance, were also discussed. Mr Carson said one possible revenue generator would be to lease rooms in the building during the morning, but be solely dedicated to youth in afternoons and evenings. Cllr Hazel Percy said: 'We sold the Leonard Lamb Centre, which was used by the youth, and owe it to them to support this. It's the most important thing in the town and all the kids are delighted with the idea. I know it's going to take time, but it will be worth it.' It was proposed by Cllr Tom Bush to recommend full backing of the project, but defer grant figures until it had been discussed at full council. Seconded by Cllr Hazel Percy, members were unanimous in their vote.
