It has come to the city’s Regency Society’s attention that Brighton and Hove City Council’s proposals for regeneration of The Level include the relocation of the skateboard park to the southernmost triangle of the northern grassed area.

At a meeting of the Regency Society’s trustees that took place on November 8, it was agreed to write supporting the skate park being left where it is, and that the grassed area should not be developed.

We understand that the skate park has been a very popular facility that has served Brighton’s youth since 1976. Its secluded location under the trees attracts little notice, despite noise generation and inevitable graffiti.

It is important that our green spaces serve all sectors of the community and this is one of very few that serves the younger members of society. The wider community is apparently not in favour of moving the skate park, and neither are the Friends of the Level, so it’s hard to understand why council officers persist with proposals to move it.

If the skate park is moved, the siting of funfairs and other temporary and Brighton Festival and Fringe events will be compromised. The relative peace of the grassed area where families and groups can sit and enjoy the sunshine in the city centre will be fundamentally changed.

Our main objection, however, is that, in the heart of one of our major conservation areas – that is an important historic piece of urban landscape – its character would inevitably be damaged by inserting fences, concrete ramps and other structures, which will attract graffiti.

Hazel McKay
Honorary Secretary, Regency Society of Brighton and Hove