more greenland stolen..

The application for a five-storey block of 11 apartments was approved on the site of the former school house on the Bury Old Road boundary of the park.

Plans for the development show an ultra-modern residential complex in grey metal and natural stone with purple panels similar to other new residential developments springing up in the Prestwich and Whitefield areas of Bury.

Manchester City Council has sold the building rights for the land to a private developer. The rights have been bought by Olnato, the development arm of Ardent Estates estate agents of Sedgley Park. Ardent Estates have since submitted proposals to Bury Council's Planning Committee, which has now agreed the scheme.

Although lawyers for Manchester City Council have insisted that no development can go ahead without their agreement and they maintain power to veto the plans which had earlier been rejected by the city council, Michael Furst a representative of Ardent Estates says he is unaware of any opposition from Manchester City Council, who he says have been 'paid very nicely' for the development rights.

He said: "We are building what the council wants. They want to have something there because it's a derelict site and the council wants to make money.

"As far as I know Manchester City Council doesn't oppose it. They approved the basic concept of the building but have some concerns about how it is going to look. We have been negotiating with them to make them happy.

"We're very confident. Now we have planning permission in place we are putting the plans out to tender for building. If the city council wasn't happy with the prospect then basically they are thieves because they sold the option to build on that land.

"If the city council decides that they don't want to allow appartments to be built on their land they are going to have to answer for what they have done to us. They will have deceived us. What would they rather have there, a filling station, another Lidl or a McDonalds?"

The approval has shocked members of the Heaton Park Trust who found out about the plan only weeks ago but had been assured that no such scheme would be allowed.