Neighbours in ‘millionaires’ row’ face constant beeping over objection to £360,000 skate park
Wealthy neighbours in ‘millionaires’ row’ including singer Bonnie Tyler fighting legal battle over £360,000 skate park are now locked in noise row after skateboarders began blasting their car horns in front of their seafront mansions
- Millionaires’ row, Mumbles Road, on Swansea’s seafront is locked in noise row with hundreds of skateboarders
- Seven residents have entered into a legal challenge to block a £360,000 expansion of a seafront skate park
- Vehicles have been blaring their horns driving past Mumbles Road day and night in support of the skatepark
The wealthy residents of a seafront millionaires’ row are locked in a bizarre noise row over a skate park, with hundreds of protesting skateboarders blasting their car horns as they drive past the mansions.
Seven neighbours on Mumbles Road, Swansea – where Total Eclipse of the Heart singer Bonnie Tyler and her husband live – are taking legal action to block a £360,000 skate park being built in front of the strip.
But supporters of the expansion of the Llwynderw Skatepark are protesting the objectors by blaring their car horns as they drive past the site and homes in the day and at night. The residents are challenging the way Swansea Council approved plans for the redevelopment.
Hugh Hitchcock, who is taking on the judicial review, said: ‘It is unacceptable that one of the seven applicants to this judicial review should be subjected to this appalling campaign of abuse and harassment for exercising their democratic right to challenge the unlawful decision made by Swansea council.
‘We hope Swansea council will now recognise the distress and hurt that has been caused here and unreservedly condemn the despicable behaviour of those who have engaged in these actions.’
Jason Williams, chair of the Mumbles Skate Park Association, said: ‘I saw the beep campaign last week, I’m not sure how it came about. We don’t condone it but it’s brought to the fore the strength of community feeling for the redevelopment.’
A heated argument has now been captured on video between young skateboarders and car dealer Mark Bailey, who owns Trade Centre Wales and is one of a number of residents opposed to the extension.
In the video Mr Bailey walks over to confront the skaters, stands on the half pipe and at one point appears to threaten to ‘smash your face in’ to one of the skaters if they touched his wife.
Mr Bailey wrote in now-deleted posts on Facebook that the incident happened on May 26 after he was driving home to be met with ‘a gang of youths shouting abuse and throwing things at my vehicle’.
‘This abuse has been going on for a considerable period if time,’ he said. ‘Emotions got the better of my wife who walked over to confront the gang to ask why they felt the need to continue to be abusive.
‘I remained calm until one of the skaters nearly hit my wife, I regret what was said in the heat of the moment but emotions were running high at the time.’
The millionaire owners of luxury homes in Swansea opposed to the redevelopment of a £360,000 skate park are now locked in a bizarre noise row after hundreds of young skateboarders started blasting their car horns in front of their mansions
The existing skate park is seen (centre bottom) in front of homes on Mumbles Road
After the video emerged Mr Bailey did a U-turn withdrawing his objections to expand the skatepark. Mr Bailey also apologised for his behaviour
The video shows Mr Bailey and his wife walk onto the half pipe while it is being used.
The car dealer first tells skaters ‘we have a bit of a war here, don’t we’, before complaining to skaters of the abuse he and his family have been suffering, saying that he was driving past in his ‘brand new Ferrari’ when he received a load of abuse.
Mr Bailey tells a teenager that he is not blaming him specifically, but that somebody was responsible for him and his family being targeted and he ‘did not want to put up with the abuse’.
He adds there ‘was no need’ for him to be targeted personally and he also repeatedly asks skaters to ‘mind their language’.
The woman walks across the half-pipe filming skaters as they continue to skate around her, prompting Mr Bailey to threaten one when they get too close to her, saying ‘You touch her, I’ll smash your face in.’
One skater ask Mr Bailey: ‘What are you doing? The ramp is here to be skated on.’ Another adds: ‘It’s not here to just film kids skating, is it?’
Mr Bailey responds: ‘You don’t live here, we do’. The car dealer is then told ‘all we want is a skate park’, and that the location is the best place for one in Swansea – with one skater telling him ‘you don’t skate, you don’t know.’
Another video shot during the confrontation shows a teenager say ‘Some rich **** came here to make this his retirement paradise. This is Mumbles. This is not his retirement paradise.’
A campaign has been launched on social media encouraging drivers to beep their horns as they drive past the luxury homes where residents have objected the plans for the expansion. Pictured: Young skaters use the existing Llwynderw Skatepark
An artist’s impression of the skate park expansion proposal at Llwynderw Skatepark – with a large bowl and additional ramps in place of the current half-pipe
Mr Bailey and his wife respond that they have lived in the area for 20 years and are not retired, have young children and still work.
But Mr Bailey did a U-turn withdrawing his objections to expand the skatepark after seeing the video – and suffering the car horns blaring outside his home.
Mr Bailey said: ‘Having taken time to reflect on the footage of the altercation that was filmed at the skate park on Wednesday evening, my wife Rhianon and I unreservedly apologise for our actions that evening.
‘I will make a point of going across and personally apologising to the skaters at the appropriate time over the coming days.’
‘Whilst it is by no means an excuse, my family and I have been subject to significant abuse over the days leading up to the incident, culminating in objects and verbal abuse being thrown at me as I tried to drive into my home.
‘This was the final straw which prompted our actions which we now bitterly regret. We were all young once and watching the video again today, I see more than a little bit of my younger self in the actions of those that I confronted.
The existing Llwynderw Skatepark was given planning permission to have a large expansion on the land on Swansea seafront in front of Mumbles Road
Since objecting to the plans those living on the strip – including ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ singer Bonnie Tyler, 69, and her husband – have endured a noisy protest
‘I do understand why the skaters are so passionate about the skate park and, whilst I now concede on making any objection to the redevelopment at that location, I also stand by my offer to significantly invest in a state-of-the art facility elsewhere in the borough with proper facilities and parking.
‘I do hope that those involved will accept my apology when I get to speak with them.’
An online petition in support of the skatepark project has now received more than 5,700 signatures.
Local skateboarder, Arthur Gravenor, 16, said: ‘It’s always a nice environment here.
‘There are always friendly people and I feel like it’s such a shame because we really want to upgrade the facilities here.’
A mini half-pipe is the only piece of equipment currently on the site of the planned skate park. The area has been popular with skateboarders for more than 20 years.
The campaign hit a peak when a video emerged of car dealer Mark Bailey Bailey confronting the skateboarders. Mr Bailey could be heard threatening to ‘smash in the face’ of one of the skaters if he got too close to his wife while riding the ramp
Plans for the new facility have been in discussion for about three years and were approved by Swansea council last year.
Swansea County Councillor Des Thomas, who represents the ward, said: ‘I think it’s been a little bit childish with people beeping their horns at all hours of the day. There are elderly people there and young children nearby, so it’s pointless making them suffer.
‘I would appeal to both sides to just step back a little bit and understand both people’s viewpoint and let the democratic process take its course.’
In a statement, South Wales Police Inspector Andy Harris said: ‘I want people living in the area to know that we are aware of recent issues, and we are looking into them.
‘We have listened to the concerns of residents along Mumbles Road, some of whom are being affected by inconsiderate anti-social behaviour.
‘I would encourage people to keep reporting things to us, it helps us build up an intelligence picture and, where necessary, we will take fair, reasonable and proportionate action.’
