PEOPLE behind a youth skate park project say they are willing to hear out Ilkley residents' concerns over new plans to build the park on a tennis court.

Community group Pipedream - which wants to provide a safe place for young skateboarders and in-line skaters - has drawn up plans to build the skatepark on a grass court at the Ilkley Lido sports complex.

The group already has planning permission to build a concrete skate park on another part of the complex, but has moved it to the edge of Middleton Avenue and Rupert Road, on the recommendation of a Bradford Council officer.

But since the planning application was posted at the site last week, some residents have sent objections to the council, and others have discussed their fears over noise and anti-social behaviour with planning officers.

Residents are said to be drawing up a petition against the plans.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "We're not against the enjoyment of the kids, but this is absolutely flabbergasting. It's right into a residential area."

The planned site is just yards from the nearest houses.

He told planning officers about a skate park in Harrogate being closed down after a variety of concerns, and fears an Ilkley skatepark could become a magnet for gangs of youths congregating, and anti-social behaviour, if it is not supervised.

Architect and member of Pipedream, Simon Cape, 38, says the group is keen to take on board residents' concerns, and will take advice from Bradford Council leisure bosses about how the site would be supervised. He said it could be fenced off, and locked up overnight, if recommended by the council.

Ilkley resident Mr Cape, himself a former skateboarder, said: "We're going for low-impact, flexible and affordable, starting small and letting it grow. We are very keen to get local opinion and design it around the people."

Bradford Council principal technical and development manager, Ian Day, wrote to Pipedream, suggesting putting the park on the tennis court, as he claimed this would be less intrusive.

The new skate park would be surfaced, then jumps and obstacles of composite construction added, which would enable them to be altered and moved, to keep the interest of young skaters, skateboarders and BMX riders - and would also enable alterations, even when construction was complete.

The existing plans were for a concrete park, which Mr Cape said would not only cost £100,000 or more to build, but could not be altered if the construction was wrong.

Mr Cape said the group was looking into the use of special 'quieter' surfacing on the obstacles, to cut down on noise. He also believed the new site would be easier to police, as it was next to a road, and the young people using the park would be visible at all times.

Ilkley planning officer Martyn Burke said officers would have to look into the concerns raised by residents, and discuss supervision arrangements with Pipedream.

He said: "We'll have to look at the distances involved. There's a line of bushes and trees along the edge of the site. I think the key thing raise with me is how this area would be supervised, because of the concerns about noise and people hanging around, and disturbance of the peace."

The plans are on display at Ilkley Town Hall, and the consultation period is open for a further fortnight.