Way above the rooftops of Brassington Avenue near the Regent Road end of Ordsall, you can see the looming cranes at nearby MediaCityUK. Indeed, it's been well documented* that community space in Ordsall is being eaten up by developers, speculators and foreign investors.
They are eager to cash in on the luxury housing market, with the estate sandwiched between Manchester centre and BBC/Peel Holdings land across Trafford Road. Around 13,000, mostly unaffordable and mainly apartment, properties had planning permission for the area last year, while the masterplan for the 'old Ordsall' area has been handed to developer LPC, which has boarded up the former Precinct with hoardings screaming 'Love Ordsall, One Ordsall, Your Orsall , Our Ordsall'...
As the area gets gentrified, there's very little left for the community. On this side of the estate, the shops have gone, the British Legion has gone, the health centre has gone...
...On the cul de sac of Brassington Avenue is a relatively small patch of grassed land, which has been enjoyed by the local community for around twenty years, as a safe space for kids to play football and toddlers to learn their first steps...
"This is one of the safest streets in Ordsall for children to play" says Jemma Harrison of the Save Our Safe Space campaign "They can't go on parks these days. Ordsall Park is full of young adults, kids and teenagers who drink on there, smash bottles, set fire to bins...there's nowhere, no safe place for the children any more. The only thing that brings this street together is that field."
Salford City Council, having handed loads of the estate to LPC, now recognises there's a shortage of affordable housing, and wants to erect twelve social rent houses on the Brassington Avenue field...
"Whilst change is happening across Ordsall, this has not impacted on Brassington
Avenue which is surrounded by traditional residential development on all sides" sniffs the Council's planning report, which adds that the development would continue "the positive regeneration of the wider Ordsall area...respond to housing needs in the local area...contribute positively to the character of the area...enhance the landscape quality of the buildings setting" and, most controversially "bring back into positive use a brownfield site which is currently under utilised"...
This site, now green, is actually very utilised, the community making the most of what space is left in the area.While Jemma, as spokesperson for the campaign, recognises and understands the need for affordable housing, she is adamant that this is not the place for it.
"They are taking all our safe space for the children, it's not fair" she insists "Barbara has lived here for over forty years and says she's always felt safe on this street as it's a cul de sac and we all look out for each other. The park is not safe for children. Rosa, a child minder who lives on this street, was attacked on Regent Square Park by youths so can no longer take children there. This is the only safe place she can bring the children."
The residents want to maintain the field, look after it and get funding for it to be a village green. Meanwhile, as seems to be happening too often in Salford, the Council sent out letters during the coronavirus crisis with details of the development and giving residents two weeks to respond...
"We couldn't go out and tell people about it as it was during COVID, we got no time and no warning" says Jemma "We spoke to the local councillors who said the only thing we can do is to put objections in online. A lot of elderly people here have not got the internet so we helped them to send in letters but now the case worker is saying that they don't count as objections."
To show objection in the real world, the #Save Our Safe Space campaign has organised a Fun Day on the field next Saturday, 8th August, 1:30pm to 4:30pm with a bouncy castle, inflatable bar, kids crafts, stalls and raffles, with coronavirus precautions in place.
Hopefully the local councillors, who include Ray Mashiter, Lead Member for Planning at Salford Council, will be there to support their local community...
For more details on the campaign and the Fun Day see the Facebook page Save Brassington Avenue click here
* See previous Salford Star articles...
Disappearing Salford click here
Ordsall Boom in the electronic copy of print issue 11 click here
Photos by Louise Garman
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