COUNCILLORS have given permission for a fan of wheeled-sports to apply for external funding on behalf of Wellington Town Council to help finance a new pumptrack which could cost in the region of £180,000.

The council has already given the thumbs-up to installing a new pumptrack at the Wellington Recreation Ground which could be used by cycling and skateboarding enthusiasts and also accessible to wheelchairs.

It was back in November when members of the council’s environment committee heard that a local survey had shown that nearly 300 people had backed plans for the creation of a pumptrack – which for those that do not know – is a purpose-built track for cycling.

It has a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders “pumping” – generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedalling or pushing.

A move to take the project forward was agreed by the council at its full meeting in December and to make a formal request to Somerset Council to allocate Section 106 funds of nearly £48,710 to the project.

Councillors also agreed to proceed with grant and funding applications to help finance the scheme and that is where Olly Edmondston-Law now comes into the initiative.

Mr Edmondston-Law, of the Wellington and District Sports Federation, has been a key member in the planning for the pumptrack initiative ever since a proposal for a Wheeled Sports Park was made to the town council’s Green Corridor Advisory Board last June.

The authority’s democratic services and finance manager Alice Kendall, speaking at the council’s policy and finance meeting on March 9, said: “Olly has offered his time to make some applications for funding on our behalf.”

Cllr Andy Govier said: “I don’t have a problem with this, although I’m surprised we aren’t putting any money into this ourselves.

“My concern is that it can take forever and a day to get external funding. The genie is out of the bottle on this – it is out in the open about putting in a pumptrack. But I know that trying to get external funding is a torturous route.”

Cllr Govier said that as the council had said they were going to do the project, that it should be mindful to have some money in the pot to help fund it.

The council’s chief executive, Dave Farrow, said: “We aren’t putting any money in at this stage. But we’re looking for external funding and then once we’ve got that and then we look at the costs, we will be able to see what the gap is.”

Councillors were told that more information about the project would be given at the next full meeting of the council on April 13.

A number of councillors said they were slightly concerned about the finances for the project.

Councillors voted in favour of allowing Mr Edmondston-Law to look for funding for the pumptrack project although they were told that any letters/emails looking for sponsorship would be checked first by council officials.