People might not know that the the St Margaret’s Road corner of Heaton Park was used as a camp during the First World War.
This postcard was sent from the camp to Katie from Jack. It seemed that Katie was too busy to write back…..
This image of the kitchens in the park relates to the processing of tens of thousands of men as they completed
Goals Soccer Centres planning application to build a five-a-side centre in Heaton Park
As far as we know this planning application will be heard at Manchester City Councils Planning Committee Meeting on the 17th December 2009.
It’s time to turn up the pressure.
We need your help.
Write to the Manchester Evening News at:
Postbag,
Manchester Evening News,
1 Scott Place,
Hardman Street,
Manchester,
M3 3RN.
Or email them at postbag@men-news.co.uk
If you do email your letter please follow the following guidelines.
Please send plain text only and do not include attachments.
It doesn’t have to be a long letter. You could mention all or some of the following:
Traffic congestion
Parking chaos
Noise Pollution
Light Pollution
Air Pollution
Loss of Historic Parkland
We want as many people as possible to write to keep the pressure on Manchester City Council.
The campaign to stop an 8-acre private soccer centre being built in Heaton Park is in its final stages ahead of a decision by Manchester Council on December 17th. Campaigners to save the park have been encouraged by a wave of rejections for similar schemes in parks in London.
Campaigners in Morden Park found out this week that their campaign to stop their park being turned into a commercial soccer centre had been a success. Find our more from their website here.
Regents Park, as well as parks in Morden and Wandsworth in the capital, have all been threatened with “Goals” soccer centres similar to the one proposed for Heaton park. In each case the applications have been rejected after public pressure.
Campaigners in Morden produced this stunning video to support their cause:
Cllr Tim Pickstone, Local Councillor for Holyrood ward and a leader of the campaign to protect the park said “I am pleased that communities in London have come together to save parkland, and that local Councils have listened to what people want. I appeal to Manchester City Council to do the same.
“We have always said that this is a good facility, but in completely the wrong place. We are all for better sports facilities, but this is an 8 acre concrete site with a big car park, charging people a lot of money and open until 11pm. This isn’t something that should be built on green land inside a quiet public park.”
Manchester Council are expected to hear this application on 17 December 2009, but in the meantime keep up the pressure - here’s how.
The Save Heaton Park team have launched two creative competitions to celebrate Heaton Park with amazing prizes each worth up to £200.
Parks are great. They are big, open spaces that give us the opportunity to spend quiet times away from the pressures of modern life.
In parks we can be close to nature, enjoying stillness and tranquility.
Parks allow us to properly feel the changing seasons.
We have energetic fun there too, burning off energy, meet and spend time together as friends and families. The best part is there’s no-one there telling us what to do or how to do it. We can get fitter in our own time, in our own way
But we all take them for granted. We assume that they’ll always be there - think again. That park you love is under threat of slowly vanishing before your eyes.
Imagine one day, turning up to the gates of the park, perhaps all wrapped up for a bracing walk in autumn or in summer with a picnic to enjoy with the family in the sun, and the park has gone. Instead you find a commercial business surrounded by 5metre high fences.
It’ll never happen - wrong - the process has started, but it can be stopped.
We have to show Manchester City Council how much we all love Heaton Park - every part of it, but most important, how much we love this part:
View Larger Map
Generations have enjoyed Heaton Park over the years. Homes around Manchester (indeed all around the world) must have photographs taken, by ordinary people, in the park.
We want to celebrate this too. That’s why we’re awarding a prize to the image from the past our judges feel best sum up why generations have loved the park.
myPark
ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
Take a photograph in the area shown on the map
- on film - please scan your photograph and send it by email
- on slide - please have a digital image made by a photo lab and send it by email
- digital camera or your mobile phone
Make a painting or drawing please scan and send by email
Make a short movie (we’ll use screen grabs if you win)
A selection of entries will appear on our website. You can submit any style of work you like but please make sure it’s all your own work.
Judges include: Mike Black professional photographer
myPark
POETRY AND PROSE COMPETITION
Write a short piece of prose or a poem set in or written about this very special corner of the park.
You can submit any style of work you like but please make sure it’s all your own work.
Two age group winners
UP to 16 years
16 years and older
Judges include: Tony Warren - novelist and creator of Coronation Street
A selection of entries will appear on our website.
WHAT YOU WIN
A beautiful professional quality canvas for your home or office MADE FROM YOUR IMAGE POEM OR PROSE.
PrintedSpace.com will take your artwork, poem, story or photograph and turn it in to a high quality canvas.
Better still they’ll make it to your size - bespoke!
CLOSING DATE:
Time is running out to Save Heaton Park - so please get your entries to us by FRIDAY 4 December 2009
HOW TO SEND ENTRIES
By email to: info@saveheatonpark.org.uk
Entrants must provide the following details when entering the competition:
name,
phone number,
e-mail address.
Goals Soccer Centres have re-submitted their plans for a commercial soccer centre in the St Margaret’s Road area of Heaton Park this week.
These plans will now be subject to public consultation, with an expected date at Manchester Council’s Planning Committee on 17 December 2009.
The plans have been resubmitted despite significant opposition from local residents, heritage watchdogs and many users of the park.
The new plans see a slightly reduced scheme of THIRTEEN soccer pitches, SIX tennis courts and a climbing wall area. There are 40 car parking spaces and Club House.
This will be our last chance to SAVE HEATON PARK!
More information on the planning application here (Manchester City Council). (Search under Higher Blackley Ward.)
Download the plans here and here.
Three things you can do today:
1 - Sign our new online petition - even if you signed first time we now need to send the message again to Manchester Council that this plan is WRONG!
Sign the petition here.
2 - Write in personally to object to Manchester Council. Download a copy of a draft letter here. Don’t forget to add your name and address to the top of the letter! You can email it to p.babb@manchester.gov.uk
3 - Look online at the application and object online - click here for the Manchester Council Planning site. Send emails to: r.griffin@manchester.gov.uk
4 - Join our FACEBOOK group and TELL YOUR FRIENDS! - 1000 and growing (search for “Save Heaton Park” on Facebook!)
The Campaign has recently made it to the national satirical magazine “Private Eye“.
(just click on the cutting to view in a larger size).
There has been much written and said about Goals Soccer Centres planning application to build a sports centre in Heaton Park. It is an emotive issue which has generated a great deal of public debate. Nobody doubts that we need more sports facilities. The issue is, should such a large modern development be built in a historic park such as Heaton Park.
From this:
To this:?
The following newsletter is being distributed to supporters and all local residents as an update on the campaign.
Download the newsletter here (a PDF file) - or you can read the text below (but without the pictures!)
Read the rest of this entry »
These pictures, taken by a local resident early this morning, show digging works in the top corner of Heaton Park (the St Margaret’s corner). According to the Heaton Park Wardens some sort of work around the proposed Soccer Centre - funny I thought we lived in a democracy, and no decision has been made yet?
Many thanks to Sean for this map which shows just how much of Heaton Park is already taken up for other activities, rather than ‘open parkland’. The areas in use include car parks, gold courses, animal grazing and football pitches.
Campaigner fighting to save the St Margaret’s corner of Heaton Park from being turned into a commercial soccer centre are worried that less and less of the Park is being left as open parkland.
