A TEIGNMOUTH councillor said he felt 'threatened' by some angry residents opposed to a seafront skate park.

Cllr Terry Falcao, who is helping to make the long-awaited facility a reality, was forcefully confronted at a public consultation into the proposal.

'There were a handful of very vociferous anti-skate park seafront residents.

'I actually felt threatened by one or two who right in my face about my support for the youngsters. It was quite shocking.

'One chap from Bristol who is a regular visitor stated "Skateboarding is disgusting – it's not even a sport. It's noisy and a waste of time",' said Cllr Falcao.

Despite the heated tempers, Cllr Falcao believed the meeting at the Carlton Theatre on Saturday 'went really well', with 'hordes' of youngsters and their supporters turning out.

Although he took a verbal bruising, Cllr Falcao was still in conciliatory mood, and said: 'One or two objectors were honest enough to admit that for them it is nimbyism. But the residents are still entitled to their concerns, and we must address them.'

He described the design for the facility, on the site of the derelict paddling pool, as modern, and bespoke for such a sensitive spot.

'It is aimed at preserving the promenade, and addressing the concerns in the letters we have received over the past few months.

'The low impact design means the noise levels will be lower.

'The skaters themselves had a great deal of input into the design.'

Cllr Falcao thought many residents came to the consultation with preconceived ideas of what skate parks looked like, and virtually all were surprised at how unobtrusive the design was.

'As the eyesore fear was untenable, they turned their attention to the noise issues.

'Teignskate commissioned an independent report at a cost of £1,000, and it stated that if the park closed before 8pm, there was no need for any barrier at all. If it stayed open longer, a sound barrier of 1.8 metres would be required.

'The third objection is antisocial behaviour. All the objectors had to accept that the skaters are not the source of such problems.

'There were also concerns that other youngsters might be attracted to the site for late night drinking. That is a separate issue of under-age drinking, and a matter for the police and parents, who may not realise they are out on the Den until the early hours.

'There were also some honest views expressed about the fear caused by gatherings of young people, with whom many elderly people do not have any rapport.

'That is a fact of life, and a bigger issue than the skate park.

'Teignskate wants the facility to be an enhancement, an attraction and an asset to Teignmouth.

'For me, the highlight of the very intense consultation was a young man aged about 14, who after studying the design for many minutes said to his mate "I can't stop smiling. This is brilliant. My dad wanted this when he was my age".'

About 200 people attended the consultation, and the vast majority were in support. Cllr Falcao stressed there was also a lot of constructive dialogue and some 'excellent' suggestions, which will be explored.

His parting comment was: 'We need to remember we are providing a facility for our young people. It consists of a renovated paddling pool about 25 yards long.

'Those wishing to walk on the promenade still have two miles. I find it difficult to reconcile we are finding it so difficult to give up 25 yards for the youngsters of the town.'

As reported last week, it is hoped to have the skate park up and running within a year, after the bulk of £110,000 cost has been sourced, Teignbridge and the town councils have given their blessing, and planners say their consent is not needed for the project.