Star date: 25th September 2015

NOW COUNCIL FLOGS INGLESIDE AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACE IN PARK

Salford Council is about to sell the former residential home, Ingleside, together with a parcel of open public space in Oakwood Park. Ingleside was left to the people of Salford by Major Pilkington in 1936, and now former councillor, Mary Ferrer, is asking why Salford City Council hasn't contacted any community groups to see if they might take on a use for the stunning house... "This is selling off the silver again" she says.

Full details here...

Having aroused controversy this week about the way it's flogging Buile Hill Park Mansion (see previous Salford Star article – click here), Salford Council is now moving to sell the former residential home, Ingleside, and 1240 square metres of public open space surrounding the property in Oakwood Park.

Ingleside is a stunning, large white house presented to Salford Corporation by Major F Pilkington in 1936 and is locally listed. Last March, Deputy Mayor, Councillor David Lancaster, declared the building "surplus to the Council's requirements" and proposed to sell it, adding that it was likely to be used for "continued residential healthcare or conversion to flats or conversion to offices".

However, local resident Mary Ferrer, a former councillor, remembers one of the new local councillors informing Swinton Community Committee that the Council was looking for interest from community groups to use the building.

"She said that they were looking for interest from community groups and I asked what kind of interest and whether it would be for a peppercorn rent" recalls Mary "But shows of interest have never been asked for as far as I know. Our group hasn't been asked and no other group I know has been asked. Then, six months down the line, it looks like it's up for sale to anyone.

"We were given to believe that community groups were going to have a chance of saving the building and to use it maybe for joint ventures with other community groups" she adds "but nobody was asked, and if they were I'd like to see the evidence."

Salford Council has now also issued a public notice with intent to sell public open space land in Oakwood Park surrounding Ingleside "in order to facilitate a sale" of the building...

"This is selling off the silver again" says Mary "And we haven't got much left..."

Objections to the intended `disposal' of the land must be made in writing and sent to: Richard Wynne, Urban Vision Partnership Limited, Emerson House, Albert Street, Eccles, M30 0TE, to be received no later than 1st October, quoting reference OUT1085/1614