WAKEBOARDERS are ready to make a splash in the Cotswold Water Park once again after planners finally gave permission for a new cable-ski facility at Ashton Keynes.

The scheme was given the go-ahead this week following more than two years of negotiations and the operators were delighted.

“After some 25 months of jumping through hoops and over hurdles, we have just received full planning permission from Wiltshire Council for our cable park,” WMSKI announced to its customers “Our dreams are now a reality.”

It promised: “Announcements will be made regarding plans and development timings once contractors have been appointed and start dates agreed.”

Part of the application was a variation of an approved scheme to restore part of the gravel extraction site to agricultural farmland.

The rest was to allow the relocation of a wakeboard facility which had been based at nearby Summer Lake and involved re-profiling the lake, installing six pylons, a beginners lake with two pylons, changing, office and storage as well as a small café, shop and car parking.

Before it closed in 2013 the cable-tow at Summer Lake was used by around 2,000 people a year – 14 of them went on to compete in British championships, eight in the Europeans and five took part in world championship title contests. Army and inter-services competitions were held there and local school pupils were trained.

It shut after planning permission was revoked, but a straight line cable was installed at Cotswold Country Park a year later in an attempt to keep the sport going locally.

The application by Cotswold Water Park Ltd was first lodged in October 2015 but prompted concerns over car parking, impact on the highway and the relationship to nearby properties.

Ashton Keynes Parish Council didn’t object, but asked for a new 40mph speed limit on Friday’s Ham Lane, bunding to muffle the noise and quieter cable ski equipment than that specified in the application.

It also called for public access to all parts of the site apart from the area fenced off for the cable ski, clear signposting for footpaths and bridleways on the site.

There were more than 140 messages of support from around the region. Peter Aldridge from Gloucester said: “Facilities like this vastly improve the opportunities for local people and help to bring in visitors and tourists.” Mike Austin, also from Gloucester, wrote: “A cable-tow system has been very much missed since the closure of the old facility a few years ago. It will be great for the Cotswolds as any similar cable-tow lake is at least two hours’ drive away.”

Gloucestershire county councillor Joe Harris added his support back in 2015, saying the water park was a tourist destination and closing the previous cable-tow was likely to have had a negative effect on the local economy. “It was a landmark facility and people would often travel hundreds of miles to visit staying in nearby settlements such as Cirencester, Cricklade and South Cerney and using the local amenities there.”

Objectors argued they would be subjected to the constant drone of the power, the facility would offer no benefit to the local community and would be an eyesore for people entering the conservation zone. Some said it would be too close to the village, there would be pollution from car emissions and suggested other lakes would be more suitable.