YOUNG skateboarders and BMX bikers in Lowestoft have received a boost after councillors unanimously backed plans for a new park.The �200,000 concrete park with a variety of apparatus has been supported by police and youth organisations and can now be built at Normanston Park after being given the green light by Waveney District Council's development control committee.

YOUNG skateboarders and BMX bikers in Lowestoft have received a boost after councillors unanimously backed plans for a new park.

The �200,000 concrete park with a variety of apparatus has been supported by police and youth organisations and can now be built at Normanston Park after being given the green light by Waveney District Council's development control committee.

Youngsters have been heavily involved in the process and more than 40 people turned up to a consultation evening at Benjamin Britten High School last year.

The project, spearheaded by the district council, is part of a strategy to improve open spaces and community sites throughout the area.

Development control committee member Sandra Keller said at Wednesday evening's meeting: 'It is a good plan and it is in a good place. There is nothing wrong with it and it should be recommended.'

The committee heard that there had been broad support for the project, with only one objection submitted.

The new facility will be at the north-east corner of Normanston Park, close to the roundabout with Peto Way. It will be 50m from the nearest housing.

Councillors were also told that nearby swings used by younger children will be moved elsewhere in the park and that there would be easy ambulance access to the area.

Chris Ames, play co-ordinator at Waveney District Council, said: 'The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) has done an inspection and passed the site as suitable for such a provision. They congratulated us on the project and its design.'

A large slice of the funding for the project came from a �157,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund and �30,000 from the Waste Recycling Environmental (Wren) organisation.