THIS is one of two outline designs being considered for a long-awaited skatepark in Bewdley.

And the firm behind the plans will come to the town to get the verdict from the skateboarders themselves.

It is a significant milestone for the bid to put a skating facility next to Bewdley Leisure Centre, a project picked up by the town council this summer.

The £17,000 design might have to be remodelled to suit an L-shape, pending approval from planning bosses, but could be ready to go for the Stourport Road site in six months, said mayor Jeremy Ferguson.

He said: "This has moved a lot further in the last six months than it has in the last two years - it is great news for young people in Bewdley."

The town council has given Mr Ferguson - who promised to stick up for Bewdley's youth when he was appointed in May - the all-clear to press ahead with the scheme in partnership with Poole-based skate specialists GBH.

The firm will eventually meet skateboarders in the town, he said, to determine what they wanted to see at the site, with quarterpipes, flatbanks and grind-rails already featured in this first look.

And the cash needed is already in place, beamed Mr Ferguson, thanks to £20,000 secured by fund-raising charity Opportunity Bewdley.

He said: "We will hopefully be meeting with the planning department at Wyre Forest District Council this month to discuss what land we can use. Then we will get down to the nitty gritty of the design."

The leisure centre is co-owned by Worcestershire County Council and Bewdley High School with a stake owned by Wyre Forest District Council. It is run by independent company DC Leisure. Mr Ferguson said the three councils were looking at chipping in for maintenance costs of about £6,000 a year.

Other sources of funding were being looked at, he said, as £17,000 given to the district council by the Communities Against Drugs scheme, mooted for the park, had been spent.