Outraged locals in West Denton are urging council bosses to save a beloved green space from being lost to new housing.
Campaigners in the outer west of the city say that plans to build 60 homes on a council-owned field next to the West Denton Community Centre will rob the area of a vital asset.
And their anger was compounded when Newcastle City Council recently demolished a well-used skate park at the site, leaving youngsters “in tears”.
Pleading with civic centre leaders to put a stop to the housing plans at a council meeting last week, residents claimed that the proposals had emerged “without any engagement” with the community.
But the council says that the land, used as football pitches before it was left to become overgrown, is designated for housing and insisted that the skate park was removed because it was in an “irreparable” state.
Local resident Catherine Harle said: “The children came out of school and were going to the skate park, but they were left in tears.
“They are taking this space away from children in our area. Kids used to come from Blakelaw and Slatyford to use the skate park, it was really popular. Now it is gone because the council has decided to build houses.
“Everything has been underhanded, they have taken this field right out from under us.”
Local authority bosses have also been accused of bulldozing the skate park at a cost of £10,000 when it would have cost just £1,600 to repair it – but the council says that the actual renovation cost would have been £15,000.
A council spokesperson said: “On August 28 it was decided to remove the skate park. This was because the site had been damaged and the park was irreparable.
“Repairing damage to the skate park, including additional costings such as higher fencing and maintenance would have equated to around £15,000.
“As the site is due to be developed, it was decided to remove the skate park to ensure it did not pose a risk to users.
“We will work with the developer to see if a skate park can be safely located elsewhere within the ward.”
Coun Linda Hobson, cabinet member for housing, told residents last week that she is “ready to listen” to their concerns and that the city had to strike a balance between building much-needed new homes and preserving important sites that “make Newcastle a city we are all proud of”.
A formal planning application from a housing developer is expected to be made in the coming weeks.
But independent Chapel ward councillor Marc Donnelly has called the development a “fait accompli”.
He added: “The council needs to stop selling public open space, leaving very little recreational land for Newcastle residents. The council states that residents can have an input in the planning application but that is too late.
“Residents should have been consulted about the change of use from open space to housing development.
“In my ward green belt has been lost to the housing development and now the council is removing open space. What a legacy we are leaving.”
