FEELINGS ran high at a special parish council meeting to discuss plans for a skate park in Silverdale.

More than 50 people turned out at the village institute after Silverdale Parish Council invited the public to share their views on the proposals. The plans by Silverdale Village Institute Committee also included a multi-use games area.

Parish council chairman Terry Bond told the Gazette that views aired at the meeting were "split in half, really" with younger villagers tending to be in favour and older people wanting to preserve the field as a green space.

After the meeting some people took to the Institute's Facebook page to express disappointment and even 'disgust' at what they described as 'rudeness' and 'heckling' at the gathering.

Cllr Bond wrote on the Facebook page: "No decision was reached by the parish council as it is felt there are a lot of questions that need to be answered first. It was disappointing that despite a request to be respectful to others there were some who disregarded that; passion is one thing, rudeness is another, they do not present a good role model for the younger end of the village."

MORE TOP STORIES: Institute committee member Tim Stothert, the agent for the planning application, was unable to attend but he told the Gazette: "Terry Bond, I heard, managed to keep it all under control, but the antis were very vocal and the kids were horrified with the shouting."

Mr Stothert said that "much misinformation and vitriol is being written about our superb project".

He explained: "The AONB are happy, Lancashire Police are behind it, the last parish council are backing it and in our survey to every household in the village there was an overwhelming demand for us to provide these facilities.

"We have been trying for ten years to get this skate bowl/multi-use games area/tennis court and the demand for croquet and boules is huge."

According to the minutes of the meeting, some villagers expressed concerns that the proposed skate park would attract litter, minor accidents, bad behaviour and drug use.

A member of the First Responders also pointed out that the institute field is one of the few places where an air ambulance can land in Silverdale and advised caution with building permanent structures.

Silverdale Parish Council resolved to "support the general thrust" of the plans to improve recreational facilities, but members could not reach a full decision because of "lack of information" about acoustics, visual impact and hours of use; and concerns about increased traffic on Spring Bank.

The planning application is to be decided by Lancaster City Council. The consultation period expires on Friday (July 31).