The Battle for Albion Green

Article published: Saturday, September 26th 2009

A green oasis constructed by local residents in the Poet’s Corner area of Salford is the newest victim of development plans in the area.

Albion Green provides a focal point for the surrounding community as well as a rare safe space for children to play, yet it has been sold to

Inspired Developments (ID) and Miller Homes for just one pound. ID and Miller Homes have also received £53,000 in so-called ‘gap-funding’ from the New Deal for Communities (NDC) and Salford City Council, as well as £90,000 for planned work to the adjoining road.

The NDC is part of 39 “regeneration initiatives” across the country. In the Salford area they have a budget around £53 million to “create a safe, healthy, clean and attractive environment where people want to stay”, yet this includes plans to build on one of the few green spaces in the vicinity.

Part of the NDC agreement is to work in partnership with citizens, although local residents say that their attempts for a genuine consultation have been either blocked or ignored. Members of the local Residents Association invited onto the board of the NDC have resigned in protest at the behaviour of the organisation, uniting with local councillors and even local MP Hazel Blears in their opposition to the plans.

Albion Green has been erroneously named as a “grey area” by the NDC in spite of local residents presenting them with photographic evidence to the contrary. 13 of the planned houses for the area surrounding the field will be subsidised with public money and used by Contour for social housing, a move welcomed by local residents. However, there is evidence to show that derelict land elsewhere could have been used, allowing the preservation of the Green. Longstanding local resident Bernard Hayward has described the act as “environmental vandalism”.

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Comments

1. the campaign by local residents was originally reported in the salford star. check it out for local news for salford, including sports, campaigns, culture and ´regeneration` – http://www.salfordstar.com/

   Comment by Micky on September 26, 2009 at 5:00 pm

2. Here in Hulme we are having the same problem with Manchester City Council. They continually wanted to build offices on Birley Fields against the wishes of the local residents. They have now gone into partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University to build a new campus on Birley Fields. The residents in Didsbury fought against it, so they think they can foist it on Hulme. Yet there are plenty of empty office blocks in the area that can be converted to classrooms. Also there is a development land at Gaythorns which could be used along with unfinished apartment blocks. Councils seem to have a phobia about green spaces. Just look at the state of Manchester City Centre now, a concrete jungle.

   Comment by Patrick Sudlow on September 28, 2009 at 2:06 pm

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