Heres a good idea - Lets build a carpark on Platt Fields Park

BASTARDS!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAGH!!! Why are they so evil?

When I lived in Rushome, Platt Fields was the only park you could actually enjoy (rather than buy crack, get mugged etc).

We can't have any green space in our cities, the poor might get some proper air, with oxygen, and we know what happens then don't we? I now live in a city that has no park in its centre, everytime a potental green space comes on the market, it becomes offices or premium priced yuppie housing.

Hmmm. I see a lot of this type of thing, so I thought you may like a design to print off and distribute. I call it space invaders.

support south rusholme residents association

 southrusholme@hotmail.com

And the slightly good news is the deadline is postponed by a week until
11 June 2004. More on the web site as it comes through - please pass
this URL on since it looks like being the central point of reference (on
behalf of SRRA):
 http://www.networkingnewsletter.org.uk/55/platt.html

and remember (even if its just a wreath)

Oakwood playing fields and school on Barlow Moor Estate in the process of being sold for yuppie housing - hey, the Liberal party have put out a leaflet on the estate saying it was them who walked around and asked people what they wanted. They fucking didn't. Elections coming soon. Oh, surprise.

Loretto College playing fields (gifted to manc people and er..sold)

Piccadilly Gardens (gifted to manc people and a third of it er..sold)and in three/four years time news is the rest of the space will be sold for building too.

and now Platt Fields

and Nine Ladies/Blackwood etc, same shit/different county.

this time next year, how much else can we add to this list.

why are they so evil? because trees need maintenance, stone is worth big money,
grass doesn't make money, cars and buildings do.

but green things are good if their GM, can't think why...

all I want is somewhere for people to play.

just heard Whitworth Park is also getting screwed.
des jones is 'responsible' for Platt Field's and Angela Leckie for Whitworth (car) Park. Des hasn't answered his phone yet but Ang said it was a short term measure (having the cheek to call it part of the 'green travel plan' for Manchester) and admitted she didn't even know where the park was.

both of them are at this address:
(their name)
Chief Executive's Department
Regeneration Division (Planning)
PO Box 463
Town Hall
MANCHESTER
M60 3NY
contact des 2344545 or angela 234 4516.

Tony Lloyd MP: 2480073

The local councillors are:
moss side
Brandy 226 7708
Cox 226 3258
Walters 226 2225

rusholme
john byrne 434 2539
Paul ...6139362
Lyne Williams 224 5901

what bo0ut a picnic for free spaces there.. we can get the petitions goin round and stuff too... i can organise game playin and stuff and we could have a nice kitchen and stuff.. and poss workshops and oh the possibilities... oh yes the sunshine makes me so fluffy...

if yer up fer it lets hook up downstairs on tues get clued up to chit chat bout it
after the speakers...

nes..

The car park would mean:
- some tree felling
- hundreds of extra cars in our area every day
- 2.1 metre mesh fencing
- 6 metre lighting columns
- 416 spaces
- bus turning circle

One of the worst things is that the applicant ( the local Health Authority
) is applying for temporary permission for two years. Yet the Council's
parks management have already said the only reason they are giving
permission for the park to be used is so they can take it over permanently
afterwards!

Hopefully there will be a public meeting soon (involving all interested people/groups) and will let people know via this website.

MEN article apparently coming soon. we could do with a map of the proposed carpark area? there must be one as its mentioned in the letter from the liberal councillor i posted as a separate newswire article cause i couldn't get the comment thing to upload it. jo, have you got one?

and i can't make sunday, i'll be at height gate but i'm damm sure i'll tell people there about it and also i can find out more about what other landgrabs are going on around the country. might be useful to share stuff.

see you.

There's a stall in Platt field's this weekend from Sat 11am but if
anyone can do one in Whitworth too, that would be ace (we've got
table and leaflets if anyone can volunteer: please pick up from manc uni students
union or from platt field's stall/ring 0161 275 2939)

if you want to submit comments (and you do, you KNOW you do, go on, go on, go on)
go to manchesteronline.co.uk

Fury at car park plan for city oasis

OASIS: Platt Fields park

PLANS to build a 416-space car park over green space on an historic park have sparked outrage.


Health chiefs want to use part of the funds for a new city "super-hospital" in Manchester to create a park-and-ride for staff in Platt Fields Park.

The plans include a car park - plus a turning circle for buses, 2 metre-high mesh fencing and floodlights.

The application, by Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust, which controls the Manchester Royal Infirmary, St Mary's, the Royal Eye Hospital, Booth Hall and three other hospitals, is for a "temporary" facility during work on the new £350m hospital complex.

Ownership of the car park would pass to the council after two years - and Manchester Leisure, the town hall's parks department, has made it clear it wants to keep it.

Furious residents say the move would rob south Manchester of a vital green space and add to chronic congestion on Wilmslow Road, one of the city's busiest arterial routes.

Viv Warentz, of the South Rusholme Residents' Association, said: "Everyone is gobsmacked. Many people here do not have gardens and doing this to a beautiful space is too horrible to contemplate. I can't believe they would even think about it.

"The traffic is already terrible and this is going to make it much worse. People are rushing to sign petitions. The council are not going to win."

Appalled

Paul Shannon, Lib Dem councillor for Rusholme, said: "In this densely-populated area, Platt Fields is our green lung. "This would bring hundreds of extra cars to Platt Lane and Heald Place. I am appalled that the council is telling local residents that the car park will temporary, when in fact council park bosses have said that it will be a permanent addition to Platt Fields Park."

The application is likely to be considered by the council's planning committee later this year. If successful, staff would use the car park during work on the new "super-hospital", when the amount of space for vehicles at the MRI will be greatly reduced and patients' and visitors' cars will be the priority.

It is a vastly controversial choice because Platts Field Park is a proud symbol of Manchester's civic unity. The estate became the property of the Platt family in 1225 and when it was put up for sale in 1907 it was bought by William Royle. A meeting was called and a resolution passed that the site be used for public use.

A council spokeswoman said: "Manchester Leisure would like to progress the legacy of hard-standing car parking on this event field in the park and have taken the opportunity to have initial consultations with the Friends of Platt Fields Park and other stakeholders. Any plans for a permanent car park would be subject to further consultation."

What do you think of the plans for a car park?




Submit your comments
View comments (1 comment 20/05/2004 at 12:18

the stalls for platt fields are 11am on saturday AND sunday. people from Rusholme Residents association want people to be involved. the space being taken from platt fields is massive. in whitworth park, its another carpark (and the woman on the phone thought whitworth was waste ground - dammit how involved are these people with what they are supposed to be doing).

people are meeting in the students union manchester to paint banners etc at 12 noon Friday.

if you can help out with a stall for Whitworth park, flyering whatever, you need to get in touch with the womens office at manc uni students union.

swinton open space just got the council to withdraw its application for building homes on green land.

We can win these two, to.