Salford bookie, Fred Done, has bought the Castle Irwell site where he used to trade bets at the old Manchester Racecourse, with the intent of 'buying and selling real estate', rather than re-introducing racing to the famous old track*.
In September last year, Salford City Council gave owners Salford University 'outline' planning permission for five hundred houses, a school and retail outlets, and stressed that "no affordable housing is required" as the site is in a 'low value' area.
This despite the recent completion of the £10million Flood Basin and Wetlands project near the site that has made Castle Irwell even more valuable with the Government stating that it "will allow increased opportunities to develop land within the river corridor"...
The planning report from Council added that "the provision of affordable housing here is considered unviable", although it would like to see a "balanced mix of dwellings". Any future development would merely have to make contributions for improvements to the surrounding roads, transport and nearby David Lewis playing fields (now owned by the University).**
The locally listed old racecourse turnstiles will be saved and used for 'commercial purposes' but the unique pavilion, built in the 1960s as one of the first fully cantilevered reinforced concrete stands to be built in Britain, and the first with private viewing boxes, was destroyed by fire a few years ago and demolished. The stand was said to be the blueprint for future hospitality suites at football stadiums throughout the world.
Fred Done has recently become an increasingly controversial figure following development schemes in both Manchester and Salford***, while recently coming under fire from the Charity Commission after it was disclosed that his charity, the Fred and Maureen Done Charitable Trust donated £290,000 towards the improvement of the Old Warke Dam in Worsley...without reporting the conflict of interest that his 19th Century mansion, The Aviary, overlooks the Dam (see here).
Done has now set up Castle Irwell Limited for the 'buying and selling of own real estate', with Simon Ismail, Elizabeth Ogden and himself as directors, and his company FICM Limited having 'significant control'.
The Salford Star asked the University of Salford for a comment but the University hasn't responded.
*For a history of the Racecourse see previous Salford Star article – click here
**For a background on the planning permission for the site see previous Salford Star article – click here
***See previous Salford Star article – Fred Done Wins Feed The Rich Award – click here
Main photo Manchester Racecourse Salford courtesy of Geoffrey Travis
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