Gutted….
…. is how everyone involved in the Campaign feels after Manchester Council’s Planning Committee has today voted , about 9 votes to 5 votes to APPROVE the Commercial Soccer Centre in Heaton Park.
An impressive crowd of protestors made it to Manchester Town Hall on a Thursday afternoon and the public areas were packed with protestors.
Councillors first voted on a request made by local Prestwich Councillor Tim Pickstone for a site visit (so that the Councillors would consider this at their next meeting after visiting the area) but this was voted down about 9 votes to 5.
Then the campaign got a make its case when local resident Paul Toner spoke against the plans, together with statements from local Councillors Tim Pickstone, Wilf Davison and spokesperson for Ivan Lewis MP. A spokesperson for Goals Soccer Centres spoke in favour of the proposals.
There was controversy when it came to light that a response from the Garden Historical Society AGAINST the plans had not been included in the paperwork for the meeting. The GHS are a statutory consultee on this issue and they raised serious concerns about the impact of the centre on the historical character of the park, and on how it would impact on the entrance way.
A proposal to defer the decision to allow more time to consider this late objection was defeated 9 votes to 5. (Getting a pattern here?)
There was some debate by Councillors, but most remained silent.
Finally the proposal was approved by 9 votes to 5. Planning is a non-Party Political issue, but by chance……, all the Labour Councillors voted in favour, all the Liberal Democrat councillors voted against.
So, after all the hard work of the Campaign the proposal has been accepted. Everyone involved is gutted and devastated by the decision.
Manchester City Council is obviously very quick at writing press releases - this went out only minutes after the decision - interesting….
Claire
Donnelly/Chief.Ex
ecutives/MCC To
11/02/2010 14:48 Claire
Donnelly/Chief.Executives/MCC@mcc
cc
Subject
News release: Heaton Park plans get
go ahead
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
NEWS RELEASE
11 February 2010
A sporting chance for local community
Pupils from St Monica’s School in Bury are among those celebrating news
that Heaton Park is to benefit from brand new sports facilities.
A Manchester City Council planning committee has today agreed a proposal
submitted by Goals Soccer Centres, to create the facility, which will
include small-sided football pitches, tennis and netball courts, a climbing
wall and changing rooms.
Pupils at St Monica’s school are among young people in the area who
currently have limited access to a full range of quality sports facilities
and who will benefit from being able to use the sport zone free of charge
in term time.
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council’s executive member for
culture and leisure said: “This is great news for the park and great news
for the local community. A key priority for the City Council is to make
sport more accessible to residents and so it’s particularly important that
the facilities will be available either free of charge or at discounted
rates for 60% of the time for community groups.
“It’s reasonable that the local community can expect to access sports
facilities in a park, especially in one the size of Heaton Park, where
there is plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the surroundings. We have
open-air theatre, a public golf course, a boating lake, horseriding and a
farm, and these sports facilities are a welcome addition and continue the
investment that the city has made to improve the park over the last decade.
The Heaton Park Trust volunteers have been campaigning since the mid 1990s
for facilities like this in the park to improve access to sports and
ultimately health and fitness for the benefit of the wider community and
I’m delighted these plans are now coming to fruition.”
Goals Soccer Centre, will develop the new facility and managing director
Keith Rogers added: “Getting the approval today means that we can move
forward now to bring these of much needed sports facilities to Heaton Park.
We have pledged to make over 300 hours community use available every week
and schools such as St Monica’s will really benefit from having this
stunning new resource on their doorstep.”
The brand new facility will be tucked away in the northwest area of the
park next to the bowling-green and pavilion, which were purpose built for
the Commonwealth Games in 2002. It will be created in the area
traditionally utilised for sports activity and will use 3.4 hectares of the
260-hectare park, leaving the rest of the park’s vast landscape undisturbed
and enabling the other park activities to continue as normal.
The new facilities will see the return of tennis courts to the park, after
they were removed from the historic core of the park as part of its ongoing
restoration, funded in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Tina says:
February 11th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Free access during term time for St Monicas students & “discounted access” for local residents… I don’t remember being charged anything to kick a ball about on a park before.
Heaton Park was for to the people of Manchester, was it not??
Not the council, or profiteering fat cats!!
This is a joke!!
“Heaton Park was sold to Manchester City Council in 1902, by the Earl of Wilton, to be kept for the enjoyment and recreation of the public and so it has remained to this day.” <<< LITERALLY to this day!!
As a good chunk of it will belong to profiteering fat cats soon!
Very Unhappy Local!
Joe Public says:
February 11th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Does this really come as a surprise to anyone that an army of suits with suitcases full of [*****] get their way? “Democracy” at work.
Debby Plummer says:
February 11th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
I don’t know if I am more saddened or angry. Probably both in equal measure. Thanks to all who have campaigned so hard and to Tim, Paul and others who spoke clearly and cogently this afternoon. Goals Soccer will be unpleasant neighbours for the people of St. Margaret’s.
Bracken Setanti says:
February 12th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I am devastated. That piece of land is so important to me. And one of the greatest things about it is that it is open for everybody to use. I love using it while sharing it. Now that land, our land, my land has been given away. The saddest of days.
Green space says:
February 13th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Is there nothing we can do now to stop this??
Eddie says:
February 13th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
This is great for St Monica’s and great for the local youths. About time the council thought about us. The park is big enough for everybody if you want to kick a ball for free. Where were the protests when the bowling centre was built?
fred fletcher says:
February 13th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
So st. monicas will get use of these facilities, what is there about a school that has a fair amount of land attached to its premises that it needs sports grounds additionally, and yes why is apublic park being let out to private business? this is only the thin end of the wedge where it all end?
This is disgusting!!!!!
There must be plenty of land elsewhere in Manchester for these profiteers
David says:
February 14th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Democracy my ar*e!
Funny how the council had the press release to dispatch and the local rag had the story to print before the decision was made.
Shame on those so called ‘representatives’ who had obviously made up their minds before hearing any of the arguments from local people. I wonder how many of the panel will have their lives blighted by this monstrosity.
Selfish and self-serving to the last.
No surprise that permission was not granted in the more ‘affluent’ and ‘professional’ south of the city - where they would have endured a scathing backlash and vocal public outcry which would have left them smarting all the way to the ballot box. No, stick it in the far end of the park on the Bury border and screw the objections from local people who will have to live with it.
Oh, and charging for football in the park. What next? Pay as you walk(additional enjoyment may be purchased for a nominal fee - see tariff)?.
This is our park. Or it was.
Now part of it belongs to a faceless organisation with no remit other than making money.
Congratulations labour councillors. Well done. One more departure from socialist principles. Another nail in the coffin.
To everyone reading this. You have the power. GET THEM OUT.
Eddie says:
February 14th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Why is everyone moaning about being charged to play in the new centre? Last time I looked you have to pay to play golf, Pitch and putt and the use the boats so why does nobody moan about that.
L. Doyle says:
February 16th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Is no city greenspace sacred any more? If the value of the nearby houses diminishes because of noise, lights and disturbance, would the owners be eligible for compensation? Also why has the press never questioned why Manchester Council has chosen the smallest access point to the park (which comes under Bury Council), and not the very large and grand unused entrance at Middleton Road (which comes under Manchester City Council) and where no community housing would appear to be affected.
Finally, I wonder when the next proposal will come.
Dave Lee says:
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:27 am
There was a rumour flying around a couple of years ago that MCC Councillor Pat Karney had discovered that the old GPO Telecoms tower had it’s own separate power supply and that he was interested in developing this for some “luxury” apartments (how can something that even a cat couldn’t swing itself around be classed as luxury?). I heard no more about this but if it is true it possibly shows that there is a hidden agenda with regards to Heaton Park by MCC. As to how they could refuse to allow the GHS submission to be considered is surely un-democratic and needs to be forced upon MCC. I would also query the validity of allowing MCC to make a decision which will impact on the lives of predominantly Bury (Prestwich) residents. I know that Bury are also keen on developing every spare piece of land that they can find in Prestwich, you only have to look at that monstrosity on Fairfax Road opposite Our Lady of Grace (there’s another rumour that people who moved in there complained about the bells from the church being rung on a Sunday).
We need to keep the campaign going and stop these corporate idiots working for the minorities (like their shareholders and the people who will predominantly come out of area to use these “facilities” (do we need another bar in Prestwich?).
Does the decision mean that St Monica’s pupils/students have free use of the place if it is developed or will there be a “nominal” charge and if so who will be expected to pay for it? Will they also have the same free access that they would to these during the school holidays? Will they convert these to cricket pitches during the summer or allow Rugby 5’s/7’s to be played here also? I think not but then I’m possibly being too cynical for my own good.
I grew up in Sedgley Park and have moved in and out of the area during my lifetime. The thought that some “champagne socialists” have decided that they know better than the residents whom they don’t even represent is more than a little worrying. Keep up the fight and kick them into touch!
Openspaceforall says:
February 25th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Two weeks after the disgraceful decision by Manchester City Council to build on public parkland I am still just as incensed. This scheme will replace an area of open space that has been enjoyed free of charge for over 100 years with a private sports facility - only available at a cost. It will look awful and I don’t even think it will work. There are several 5 a side football pitches in the surrounding area that are far from fully used, and this one will hardly be the most accessible. I hope that everyone who opposed this development will keep a very close watch on what happens to this site.
David says:
March 9th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
The boats float on the pond Eddie, and you can still enjoy the pond…. this is ripping up hectares of land for a floodlit eyesore. This is stealing public land by proxy and charging for it’s use.
Geoff Robinson says:
March 16th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Heaton Park was a wonderful playground for me from 1953 to 1968. My friends and I ( inc. one called Fred Fletcher ) spent every free hour we had in that park. I visited it last year and thought it still very pleasant with good facilities. But once commercial enterprises get their big toe in the door, you’ll not be able to close it again. Resist and oppose it.