"You drive past at night and it looks like it's condemned to be knocked down, and that's the issue..."
From the car park at Mocha Parade in Lower Broughton, anyone can view a few fridges lying sideways, dumped in a small derelict courtyard where children play at night. Behind the wall of that courtyard, however, there is an accessible mountain of dumped fridges that have been there for over two weeks – despite Salford Council being notified by both shop keepers and residents.
Abandoned fridges with the doors still attached are dangerous for children as they cannot be opened from the inside, meaning kids can be trapped inside. Smashed up fridges also leak chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC chemicals which are a danger to the environment. Yet the fridge mountain hasn't been moved.
"It is very dangerous as school kids mess around there, they've been breaking the fridges into pieces, they don't know about the toxins" says Ash from Mocha Newsagent "There is a mountain of them there. I've been onto the Council, and other people have reported it, but at the moment nothing has been done - and because of that more rubbish has been dumped as well. They think Mocha is just a waste site."
Indeed, the shop keepers explain that it's indicative of the way Salford City Council has neglected and run down Mocha Parade, which is right at the centre of the `New Broughton' regeneration, surrounded by new houses that Countryside Properties are currently marketing for over £160,000, with the tag "Creating a place that people are proud to call home"...
Meanwhile, the refurbishment of Mocha, promised over twelve months ago, hasn't happened, with no-one knowing what is going on. The flats above the shops are still tinned up, shop units have been closed and abandoned, the pavements are dirty, bins haven't been emptied and trade is plummeting...
"Trade's been decimated, we're not doing a fraction of what we were doing" says butcher Steve Mulqueen "The post office has gone, the main supermarket's gone, the shops are in a bad state of disrepair and yet we're still paying full rent and rates. They've not helped us in any way whatsoever. Over twelve months ago they said this place would be done up in a year and those who wanted a new shop one would get one but it just keeps being postponed
"They don't answer emails or phone calls, they're not repairing the shops, they're not cleaning up, they're not emptying the bins and people are fly tipping" he adds "People are fly tipping because they think there's nothing open here. Look at the state of the place..."
Indeed, the customers of K's Chemist on Mocha signed a petition of complaint which was handed in to Salford Council a few months ago. In May, a reply was received from the Council's joint venture company, Urban Vision stating, unhelpfully; "at present timescales around the future redevelopment of Mocha Parade are uncertain" and that they are `in discussions' with Aldi about a new food store.
"I've asked them now, in the interim period, if they can do the bare minimum – put new signs up, paint it, clean it, get rid of the weeds and uneven pavements which are dangerous... but Richard Wynne, of Urban Vision, just mumbles along when I put him on the spot, he can't tell you anything" says Darren Melville who owns the chip shop on Mocha and represents the shop keepers
"It's like we can't be seen, we're invisible, yet behind us they're building houses for £160-£190,000 right next to a shopping parade that's not worth 50p" he adds "You drive past at night and it looks like it's condemned to be knocked down, and that's the issue. A lot of old people want to come on and want the shops, and we want the parade looking like it works."
Indeed, the shop keepers and the community just want answers which no-one is giving. And these shop keepers are very much part of the community. The chippy and the greengrocers have been on Mocha for forty years, the butcher 25 years and both chemists around twenty years.
Mocha Parade is almost all that's left on view as Lower Broughton has been bulldozed over the past decade. It's a `key Gateway', as Salford Council calls it, for the regeneration area which is just minutes from Manchester city centre. Now shop keepers are questioning what is actually behind the running down of the Parade...
"I think they're after a lot of money for the land" says Darren Melville "This is prime land. That's fine but I just want to know, I'll move somewhere else and get another shop but they keep telling us we're getting a new shop."
His sentiments are underlined by the others...
"They won't commit themselves to say either `We're going to give you a new shop' or `We're going to knock it down and build houses on it'; there's just no communication" explains Steven Mulqueen "If they'd just be honest with us...either commit to a new shop or say there isn't going to be new shops and just let us move on with our lives but they won't. No-one on this Parade has any idea what's going on. The Council gives you no confidence whatsoever."
Ash, from Mocha Newsagent, agrees... "We're just being left in the lurch" he says "The cafe, the hairdresser, the post office, the main supermarket and the taxi company have all gone and there's no trade coming on here.
"I think they've been trying to force us out for a long while" he adds "I think, they want the big companies on here to fund it - but if they don't we're just left here. We've lost 60% of sales over the last two to three years..."
Meanwhile, the shop keepers are struggling amidst a mountain of uncertainty and dangerous fly-tipped fridges...
The Salford Star contacted both Salford Council and local councillors, John Merry and Charlie McIntyre, about the fridge mountain danger and the state of Mocha Parade but none responded...*
Update: 14th June
* We now accept that Councillor McIntyre was on holiday and Councillor Merry was in London on business and couldn't respond in the time. Charlie McIntyre has now been in touch and provided this response...
"Read your article and pleased you're running with it! John told me he was speaking to one business owner. The information we have been getting is the same as the business owners - it is a mess and something really needs to be happening in a hurry!"
Update: 15th June
Following the article, the fridge mountain was cleared over the weekend...
* See also Social Cleansing in Salford in the print issue of Salford Star pages 18-19 - click here
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