THERE is divided opinion over the siting of a proposed youth shelter at Saltash.

Despite there being widespread support for providing a shelter in the town, the preferred site of the Warfelton green area was rejected as unsuitable by many at a public meeting on Monday.

The meeting, chaired by Saltash mayor Eve Storey, was opened by K2 Youth Centre co-ordinator, Gillian Furse who said the shelter project had taken two and a half years to get started.

Log cabin

She described the possible shelter as being a prefabricated section, around l0' in diameter, with a seat. She mentioned a similar shelter in Estover, and said the Saltash scheme would be for young people who do not wish to join youth clubs or similar organisations. PC Kevin Horsham described a log cabin type of shelter which the young people could help build themselves.

The chairman of Saltash football club, Mike Howard, said the proposed site for the shelter would be within 50 yards of the football club, and people visiting the club would feel intimidated. He also spoke of club windows being broken, and broken bottles being left around.

Graham Clatworthy, who runs Saltash junior football club, said he felt the drop-in shelter would become a drop-out shelter. He mentioned the fact that 150 young footballers used the local pitches at Warfelton each week, and often broken bottles and glass had been found.

Michael O'Brian also felt Warfelton was the wrong place with St Anne's Home for the elderly, the health centre, the Guides headquarters and the Saltash Disabled centre in the area. Chairman of Saltash Guide headquarters building committee, Paul Haley, mentioned broken windows being continually broken, and the roof damaged, and said he wondered if the proposed shelter would be large enough if it only takes 18 seated.

Saltash councillor, Marjorie Schikowsky, said she was not against the idea of a shelter but felt Warfelton was not the right area as it was too near a school etc.

PC Horsham stressed that if the shelter plan went ahead, consuming alcohol and drug-taking would be banned. He said the police were trying to improve liaison and alleviate the problems currently experienced in the area.

Abuse

He added he would not back a youth shelter if there was drug and alcohol abuse. In reply to suggestions that some of the empty properties in Saltash Fore Street could be used for the premises, he said these were private properties. He added that Warfelton was central.

The mayor concluded the meeting by saying the matter would go to the town council's civic amenities committee for further discussion.