Steps are being taken which would offer a lifeline to a skatepark dream in Inverbervie.
Volunteers claimed they have been unable to start work on the new facility due to council red tape.
The Bervie Skate Park Committee said it was forced to hand back £13,000 in charity funding because Aberdeenshire Council has yet to give them the lease for the site, despite backing the scheme in 2015.
The chairwoman of the committee which helped to make the ambition a reality, claimed the village had been left “high and dry” by the authority.
Audrey Forbes said: “We have jumped through hoops to get everything sorted out.
“We had to give back £13,000 from the Tullo Windfarm fund because you have to use it within a year and we didn’t have the lease.
“We’re now in the process of applying for £100,000 and think we would have a good chance of getting it, but we don’t have the lease so will probably miss out.”
The facility – which would cater for skaters and bikers – would be built in Bervie’s William Eddie Park.
Mearns SNP councillor Leigh Wilson said he has now asked the council if a lease could be drafted with the proviso it would be terminated if full funding wasn’t forthcoming.
“I share the committee’s frustration on this,” he said.
“They have been in a no-win situation of being required to have funding in place to gain a lease, but needing a lease to apply for funding.
“I have made contact with some council officers, however, and steps are now being taken to draft a lease which would have the proviso of being terminated if funding isn’t forthcoming.
“This would remove the risk for the council as well as letting the group apply for the full range of funding.
“The skatepark will be a huge asset to young people in the local area and it is positive we are finally starting to see some movement.”
Mearns Conservative councillor George Carr said he was “ashamed” of the council for failing to move forward more quickly.
He said: “It’s disappointing beyond belief that this hasn’t been progressed by now.
“It was approved in 2015 and council officers were tasked with drawing up a lease for the skatepark.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson said: “At the end of June 2015 we agreed in principle to grant a lease to Bervie Skate Park Committee to use land at William Eddie Park, Inverbervie, to be used as a skate park once the committee had obtained planning permission and funding for its proposals.
“Whilst planning permission was granted in May 2017 we have not yet had confirmation from the committee that the funding has been secured and so have not yet been able to grant the lease.
“We appreciate that the funding process can be difficult and are keen to work with the group to achieve a solution that should protect the interests of both the group and the council and allow this worthwhile proposal to proceed.”
