MARY BURNS AWARDS
DAY 14

THE `LET'S LOSE SALFORD PARKS £3,000,000' AWARD

The Grade 2 listed Buile Hill Park is the jewel in Salford's green crown, and was all set to get a Heritage Lottery grant for £3million in 2009 for a major makeover.

But which public funder would give over such a huge amount of money with plans for a private 4 star hotel in the middle of a public park?

Answer: Certainly not the Heritage Lottery Fund, which rightly rejected the proposal, arguing that "a hotel within a park would impact on its character"…

So, the £3million grant was lost plus another £72,685 that the Council paid out in fees and stuff to do the doomed bid. And it gets worse…

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE `LET'S LOSE SALFORD PARKS £3,000,000' AWARD…goes to…

Please do a drum roll and click here…

JOHN WILKINSON and SALFORD CITY COUNCIL

Yes, the self-styled `Mr Salford', egged on by Salford Council, ploughed on with his plans to turn the famous Buile Hill Mansion (formerly the ace Mining Museum) into a private four star hotel, despite community opposition. And the Heritage Lottery Fund was unimpressed…

"Whilst we recognised the historical importance of Buile Hill Park to both the local community and Salford" said a Heritage spokesperson "we had concerns about how the development of a hotel within the park would impact on its character"

So the £3million grant to do up the park was lost, plus the £72,685 that the Council paid out in getting the application together. Now the Council is trying to get a `Capital Gateway 2 bid' for £2.4 million "to re-create the conservatory and undertake key infrastructure improvements".

2010 will reveal how the Capital Gateway people view the idea of taking whole wads of public parks and giving them over to private businesses.

Even the Salford Skills Centre within the park - which the Council states on its website plays "a key role within the community" and "will remain with an enhanced role" - is to be demolished, with the Skills Centre Team relocating from Buile Hill to Liverpool Street, according to a Council report from November 2009.

Meanwhile, no leaseholder for the Mansion has been formally appointed yet, and no-one knows whether John Wilkinson has actually completed the purchase of the building yet. 

Ladies and Gentlemen. Give it up (in fact give all your green belt up) for the joint winners of the `LET'S LOSE SALFORD PARKS £3,000,000' AWARD…

JOHN WILKINSON and SALFORD CITY COUNCIL

Applause…

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