A LEADING campaigner for a Felixstowe skateboard park fears it could be "a waste of money" unless its features are challenging enough.Town councillors have agreed a £70,000 skateboard park for open space on the town's Cavendish Park – making dreams come true for youngsters after nearly two decades of campaigning.

A LEADING campaigner for a Felixstowe skateboard park fears it could be "a waste of money" unless its features are challenging enough.

Town councillors have agreed a £70,000 skateboard park for open space on the town's Cavendish Park – making dreams come true for youngsters after nearly two decades of campaigning.

But Stephen Flynn, who submitted plans to the town council a year ago for a £170,000 facility, could not understand why Felixstowe is not following Ipswich's example and going for a Lottery Grant.

Town clerk Susan Robinson has said the park will be a "sensible basic facility" based on feedback from young people.

But she warned it would not compare with Ipswich's new park, which cost £170,000 including a £90,000 lottery grant, as the town council did not have the cash.

She said: "The company we are working with has assured us that it will be attractive for young people to use, but I don't want to raise expectations that it will be like the Ipswich project, which was very expensive."

But Mr Flynn said he could not understand why the town council was not applying for a lottery bid – especially as it was confident of raising the rest of the money.

He said: "To be honest, if it's not like Ipswich or better, I think it will be a waste of money and an absolute flop.

"I am not sure that for £70,000 we will get a facility which the kids will really want to use.

"Plenty of kids from Felixstowe go to Ipswich and some to Bury St Edmunds because they want a big variety of half-pipes, jumps and ramps.

"If Ipswich got a £90,000 lottery grant, then why can't Felixstowe?

"This is a huge opportunity – if we only got match funding from the lottery we would have £140,000 and get a really decent facility here."

He was also disappointed that Langer Park had been vetoed as a site after noise tests revealed there could be an impact on nearby properties.

He said: "We had roller-skating there for years with music and loud speakers and there were no complaints."

Mr Flynn drew up plans a year ago with top BMX rider Steve Upson which they had hoped the town council would use.

The town council has agreed to underwrite £30,000 of the £70,000 cost, while £20,000 will come from play scheme contributions generated by housing development, £15,000 from Suffolk Coastal, and £5,000 each from Awards for All and the Crime and Disorder Partnership.

n What do you think Felixstowe's skateboard park should feature? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk