THE man behind a scheme to open the first indoor skate park in Dorset says he is “ecstatic” after being given the green light by Poole planners.

Before yesterday’s site visit and meeting, Tony Hill had been pessimistic about his chances of winning permission to turn an industrial unit in Parkstone into the leisure attraction.

Although the application was backed by leisure and youth services, planning officers had recommended that councillors should refuse the plans, but Mr King and his supporters won the day.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said after the meeting. “I didn’t think we were going to get it, but we brought them around and they loved the idea.

“We had a fantastic planning consultant in Penny King, and we had speakers from the local youth. They just couldn’t refuse us after that. We’re ecstatic, we really are.”

Mr King thanked the planning committee and said Poole company Maverick Skate Parks would be helping to design and build the park, which he hopes will be up and running by August. He expects to employ four full-time and 10 part-time staff.

“It’s going to be such a good attraction for the area. Poole is going to have the best indoor skate park in England,” he pledged. Planning chairman Cllr Philip Eades said: “The committee considered this application carefully before voting unanimously to approve the proposal.

“We acknowledge the importance of employment land in Poole but on balance we felt that it is important to provide recreational opportunities for young people and ensure they have places they can go to maximise their leisure time.

“It was therefore considered acceptable to lose this employment land and grant planning permission as an exception. The committee agreed with the highway safety concerns raised and the applicants will have to provide a detailed transport solution that offers safe access to and from the site from Ringwood Road.”