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SALFORD CITY MAYOR SELLS OFF HILL TOP MOSS DESPITE DECLARING A CLIMATE EMERGENCY
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Star date: 15th October 2019 WALKDEN RESIDENTS 'SHOCKED AND DISGUSTED' AT HILL TOP MOSS SALE Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, who supported the Council's declaration of a 'climate emergency' recently, has approved the sale of Hill Top Moss for housing. Residents who have been campaigning for years against any proposed sale of the Moss, which is part of Blackleach Country Park, say they are "shocked and disgusted" at the decision, have asked councillors to call it in and may go for a Judicial Review.. Full details here...
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After around six years of prevarication, Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, yesterday agreed the sale of Hill Top Moss in Walkden to a developer to build up to 79 houses. The controversial sale, comes just weeks after Salford Council had declared a 'climate emergency' and participated in a walk out during the Climate Strike. Both residents and Salford City UNISON Branch Secretary, Steve North, had asked for the decision to be deferred pending an Environment Impact Assessment, but this was ignored, as the meeting went ahead as planned. In an open letter to Dennett and Planning Lead Councillor Derek Antrobus, Steve North had expressed "concern and disappointment" at the proposed sale of land The sale will now go ahead for a 'reduction on the premium' due to the developer, believed to be Redwater, increasing affordable housing on the site to 20% (around 16 houses), from 10%. The deal also includes "significant improvement works to the adjacent Walkden Cricket Club estimated at over £1.5million"... "Hill Top residents are shocked and disgusted by the Mayor's decision to sell off our wonderful much loved Hill Top Moss, part of Blackleach Country Park, for a paltry pay off that may never materialise...Especially as Salford Council went out of their way to the exclude residents throughout" says Shirley Jones on behalf of Hill Top Road Residents Group. "Promises made by the then Deputy Leader David Lancaster to meet with concerned residents in December 2014 were just more failed promises" she explains "We remain extremely concerned from a health and safety point by Salford Council also sweeping under the carpet the 800-1000 tons of asbestos contaminated waste soil that they allowed to contaminate the land in July 2015, none of which was ever removed or remediated, when at that point residents group were proving to be successful in their attempts to block it. "We are considering further action on the matter and may seek a Judicial Review" she adds "We hope our ward Councillors will at very least have the decency to call in this flawed and unjust decision and put it before the Scrutiny Committee. This is not the end..." The Council states that "Development of the land remains subject to a planning application being submitted and approved..."
For a full background see previous Salford Star articles...
Hill Top Moss To Be Sold To Developer – click here Salford UNISON Calls For Halt To Hill Top Moss Sale – click here
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wrote
at 18:56:35 on 18 October 2019 |
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| Not all councillors are the same, some are putting up a good fight, but haven’t got a chance against the might of the mayors cabinet, or developers.
We need more opposition in the council. |
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Salford wrote
at 13:23:02 on 18 October 2019 |
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| Why do you keep voting in this awful Labour - themayor, the Mp, the councillors??? why? they don't do anything to help salford. I'm not saying any of the others would either cos they most likely won't but why??? Labour are useless. Stop voting them in cos they don't care about salford other than their £££. |
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wrote
at 09:28:09 on 17 October 2019 |
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| “Sell sell sell! Sell it all I say!!” - Chris Findlay, Salford City Council. “Ok sir” - Derek Antrobus - Councillor in charge of planning, Salford City Council. “We need MORE equality, MORE social housing, MORE real affordable homes, MORE green spaces!!” - Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor. “F*** You Mr Mayor” - all the real decision makers, Salford City Clowncil |
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wrote
at 09:27:39 on 17 October 2019 |
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| Sorry! Fact is population is growing, houses are needed or do we all live in tents |
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DARREN BORN AND BRED wrote
at 18:10:29 on 16 October 2019 |
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| We shall FIGHT them on the fields, we shall FIGHT them on the streets, if only Winston Churchill was here.. Another bit of green land gone, when will it all end? .. What is *affordable* houses? £250.000 for the cheapest, i bet, is that *affordable* for Salford people. |
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Broughton Dave wrote
at 18:10:02 on 16 October 2019 |
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| There is no shortage of houses for those who have the capital invest and maintain their purchase - yet we all know there is a real emergency in terms of rented social housing provision.
Not all of us want to or are able to buy a house for a large part of our lives, or obtain a mortgage. The obsession with home-ownership is part of where the priorities are all completely screwed in this country, gain and maintain assets and personal wealth, and when you reach the top of the stairs assisted by the many below you, you lock the doors and don't let those people in when it's raining. |
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Hill Top wrote
at 18:09:55 on 16 October 2019 |
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| Affordable or not, who would want to buy a family home on an old unmonitored landfill site & where Council allowed 800-1000 tons of asbestos contaminated soil (now proven) to be illegally deposited on it over 4 years ago, none of which was ever removed, it's all still there, despite what Council state they failed to stop it happening as they could have & then lied about it being removed, it never was & not one resident saw or heard it which is impossible if it had happened, it never did. Even Council employees sent on there to pick off the surface any pieces, which they're still finding to date, wear full Haz mat white paper suits, masks, gloves, etc., Yet Salford Council has not warned anyone, Walkdens children get to play on what is a contaminated site & dog walkers get to walk it back into homes off their shoes & dogs laws to contaminate their homes, etc., all because Salford Council would rather sell to their 1 chosen developer that they been negotiating with for over 10 years! When campaigners were doing well with this then the land was allowed to be contaminated. This is not historic contamination! This was done & allowed by Council 4 years ago. Took them 18 months to test it despite warnings from residents, and now 3 types of asbestos fibres & pieces found Crocidolite Amosite Chrysotile. Residents have been trying to deal with this issue because it may affect health & lives & whilst terrified trying to deal with that, officers & Council have been continuing to sell it off behind our backs. Residents weren't informed again! They purposely kept residents out of the process.
As for the cricket club refurb that later became a '£2 million Sports Academy' now states it's £1.5million' there is no contractual agreement forcing them to supply it but they don't tell you the community that. Where is the money coming from 79 homes? Yeah right! FOI revealed that LCCC are not putting any money towards it as we were told, they've stated they support it but only want to use it for free for Junior League & Salford Council have confirmed that they are not putting any money in it. But they own it. So who is! 10 years is a long time to allow the cricket club to fall into a dire state of disrepair. That as a pay off only benefits a small sector of our community and Salford Council who own it who no doubt will then sell it off. What about the majority! Residents have been lied to too many times as has been proven. In my opinion it stinks to high heaven! |
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Kwv wrote
at 18:09:23 on 16 October 2019 |
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| If I've got my dates right, we can vote out this dreadful mayor next May. Make sure we do. |
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Kenny wrote
at 08:40:47 on 16 October 2019 |
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| There we go again, " affordable housing". Just what is affordable housing, what one family can afford another cannot. Many affordable housing still sells for the same price as none affordable housing. In fact Salford has some "affordable housing" which is more expensive than others. What salford needs is homes which people can rent until they can afford to buy. |
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