Does anybody remember Devizes when the scrub land next to the NHS treatment centre in Marshall Road and the Green Lane football field used to be one untainted stretch of greenfield site? I do, and I’m only in my twenties. Now the development at ‘Roundway Park’ and the NHS centre have split the site up into Tarmac and pavements, with one solo standing patch of untouched space, the football fields (although it is now buttressed to the other side by recent allotments). Now the walkers, dog walkers, football players and archers are expected to give this tiny splice of waterlogged terrain over to a concrete skate park monstrosity.

This will cause more flooding to an already low site. It will create litter, put off people who have used it for years and create a quagmire.

Why do skaters deserve preferential treatment over any other exercise enthusiast? A new indoor skate park is now installed on Hopton. Use that. I don’t see many footballers who want to play in wet conditions complaining at the fees for the Astro-turf at the leisure centre. I don’t see any young golfers, gym users or swimmers demanding free facilities. Why not put in a free indoor ski slope? Perhaps we’ll do even better at the next winter Olympics. Let’s give youngsters access to free horses, tennis courts, basketball courts and snooker halls. Or we could just let the archers, walkers and footballers use the space as is, as they’ve done for years, despite the flooding. Or maybe that’s selfish? Perhaps we should make it worse by adding concrete on (I presume) the only stable bit left.

Why is this site now targeted by planners? Out of sight out of mind? They haven’t paid heed to the emergency access problem if users start lighting bonfires, taking drugs or crack their skulls open on an un-policed site late at night. Maybe they don’t care about litter.

The area around our local nature reserve, Drew’s Pond, has already endured an onslaught of concrete and abuse from teenagers.

The offenders that proffer profanity, drugs and litter may be the minority, but the minority is all it will take to ruin what should still be considered an area of natural beauty.

Another issue is that Drew’s Park nature reserve will undoubtedly be used by these skaters as a thoroughfare and anybody who already frequents this beautiful place will be aware that it is already a target of abuse by idiotic and ignorant youths. Get off our land.

Sam Hutchings, Wick Lane, Devizes.