More concrete for Manchester?
Article published: Thursday, November 26th 2009
An allotment site in Parrs Wood is being threatened with closure in order to make way for a multi-story car park to accompany the proposed tramline extension in the area. Greater Manchester Public Transport Executive (GMPTE) and Manchester City Council are currently in talks to decide its fate.
A popular and well-maintained allotment site in Withington
Local residents have been lobbying the Council to re-open the allotments since it decided to close them in 2006 in order to sell the land off for development.
While the benefits of an increased public transport network seem beyond reproach, GMPTE is also considering the introduction of a “park and ride” scheme for the tramline extension – paid for with public money by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund. This is the rationale behind the apparent “need” for a multi-story car park, even if this means building it on a much-loved site of local greenery.
GMPTE are quick to stress that nothing has been finalised, although there appears to be a lack of plans to consult local residents as to whether they either want or need a car park in the vicinity, let alone on this site.
Local resident Lizzie Williams of GAPS (Manchester’s Gardening and Permaculture Society) told MULE: “With waiting lists for allotment spaces so long in Manchester and the Parrs Wood allotments providing a part solution to this problem if they are re-opened, the plans to build a multi-storey car park over the plots is another blow to the promotion of sustainable food growth in the city. It will be interesting to see if the Council will create a replacement site or whether this will be a permanent loss to the community.”
This high level of competition brought about by Manchester’s privatised transport system seems to even extended as far as going against the wishes of local residents in the pursuit of “customer satisfaction”, a fact that both the Council and GMPTE have chosen to ignore.
Ruth Michaelson
More: Manchester, News
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