Sam EmanuelPeople living near the site of a skate park which is being built ready for the summer are urging the council to improve the parking and toilet facilities there before it opens.Sam Emanuel

People living near the site of a skate park which is being built ready for the summer are urging the council to improve the parking and toilet facilities there before it opens.

The Eaton Park Community Association and people living near the park, which sits between North Park Avenue and South Park Avenue in Norwich, are concerned the lack of extra facilities will cause problems when the �300,000 national standard park is finished.

There are only limited car parking spaces at the park and families living nearby are worried people heading for the skate park will end up trying to park in residential streets.

The skate park has been funded through the �8m investment agreement between Norwich City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), and is intended to be suitable for national events.

Janet Harradine, secretary of the Eaton Park Community Association, said: 'We had several meetings with council officials at the planning stage prior to the start of the work.

'At the meetings, we strongly stressed our main concerns - parking and toilet facilities. We were told that there would be no more parking spaces and no extra toilet facilities provided.

'The committee still feels that urgent consideration should be given to both these matters as they feel that there will be considerable overcrowding in the existing car parks.

'The nearest toilet facilities are in the rotunda in the centre of the park, and we understand those are locked at sunset.'

Sharon Page, spokeswoman for Norwich City Council, acknowledged the problem.

She said: 'We're aware of the need to address the issue of parking requirements and we are currently looking into different options for this, but it's also important that we make sure we balance those needs with the impact on the skate park.'

The council worked closely with the Skatepark Consultation Group, which helped to refine the design of the park so it would meet the needs of various disciplines. Work on the project is expected to take 14 weeks.

Are you doing something that will benefit young people? If so, call Sam Emanuel on 01603 772438 or email sam.emanuel@archant.co.uk