'We are not criminals' - Frustrated skateboarders who created their own DIY park hit out at council

Skaters who have set up a DIY-park on the former Central Retail Park have slammed a council byelaw ‘that criminalises skateboarding’.

Members of the 'Gooseside’ group, which is what skaters christened their self-made facility on the derelict land after finding some goose eggs there, have issued a ‘proposal’ to the authority.

The document, which the Manchester Evening News has seen a copy of, lays down a number of challenges to the council. They include ending the ‘byelaw that criminalises skateboarding’, and ensuring any redevelopment of the Central Retail park is skate-friendly.

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Currently, the council byelaw prohibits any person to 'skate, slide or ride on rollers, skateboards, wheels, mechanical contrivances or other equipment in such a manner as to cause danger or nuisance or give reasonable grounds for annoyance to other persons lawfully using the footway or carriageway... [or] in a designated area' across the city centre.

Rule-breakers can be hit with a £500 fine and a summary conviction. However, Gooseside have railed against that.

“Our proposal for the redevelopment of the Central Retail Park advocates for the provision of skate-friendly street furniture in the public realm sector,” the proposal says. “This is based off research showing how the social benefits of skateboarding align with many of the key development objectives outlined in the Strategic Regeneration Framework for the site as well as the more general Core Strategy Development Framework for Manchester.

“Gooseside DIY should serve as a case study for removing the byelaw that criminalises skateboarding, and encouraging greater tolerance of skateboarding in