Louisa Maxwell, of Fowey Avenue Torquay, writes:

It was with great delight that myself and my family greeted the news that Teignmouth would be finally getting its skate park due to the tireless work of Terry Falcao, for example.

I would like to express how deeply saddened I am that certain individuals seem determined to close down Teignmouth Skate Park without giving it a fair chance. It seems to me that there is a prejudice against anything which is designed for the young people of the town.

I grew up in Teigmouth and I come to town almost every weekend to spend time there with my family, who still live on the sea front. And yes, I do stay over with my young son, and yes, I find I can sleep, despite the noise allegedly being made by 'yobs' in the skate park.

It has always been the case that young people gather on the sea front in the evening and how lovely it is that instead of just sitting around dejectedly in groups, the young people can now exercise and have fun on the seafront in the evenings.

Let's be realistic here, young people might not always act in the most responsible, quiet and respectful manner, especially when in a group. This has always been the case and will always be the case as long as there are teenagers in this world. Is that really such a big deal?

I wonder whether certain individuals have conveniently forgotten what it is like to be a young person and what they maybe got up to occasionally without their parents knowing.

Furthermore, I would like to say that during the day time I have often used the park myself (much to the amusement of the park's more agile users, I am sure) along with my nieces and son. I have never experienced anything untoward while there.

I am a young(ish) female and I often run along the seafront on my own past the skate park in the evenings. I have never felt intimidated in doing so.

Should I witness any inappropriate behaviour, I would not feel like I couldn't say something to the users of the park.

It saddens me that the reaction of some adults in the town is that the skate park should be closed down full stop, without taking into consideration any other means of control.

For a start, shouldn't there be some kind of social control of the site? My husband was at the park with our son when some of the other children there behaved in a way he felt was inappropriate in front of our young son. He told them so and guess what? They stopped.

Teignmouth is there for the enjoyment of all and it is my firm belief that sometimes this means a compromise between all age groups.

Yes, maybe sometimes the kids on the seafront could be a bit more quiet, but I also think that sometimes certain individuals would do well to remember what it is to be a young person and to be a little bit more accepting.THIS AND OTHER LETTERS IN OUR ONLINE EDITION