Stephen Surtees is a local cab driver who was born and bred in Salford, grew up on the Duchy estate and now wants to build a forever bungalow to live in on a small plot of unused land, known as Alan Chester Way, at the top of Summerville Road where it bends left to Barr Hill, near the East Lancs Road.
"I'm willing to pay the going rate and I would be very sympathetic to the area" he explains "I won't be digging trees up and cutting things down. I would be putting source heat in and solar panels, and it would be good for the area. It would give a local guy a chance to purchase a bit of land and build his own house on there to live."
Stephen wrote to Salford Council stating that he would pay the market rate in an open tender and that the eco-sound bungalow wouldn't be for re-sale. He also highlighted his work in the local community, having been a martial arts instructor for 43 years teaching local kids and adults karate, while being a twice world champion and double European champion plus a 15 time national champion.
The Council wrote back stating that "The land is part of the Duchy Road playing fields area managed by Environment section of the Council...They would need to declare the area as surplus to their requirements before we can market the site for disposal. The site is not considered surplus to their requirements at the moment – so we may not advertise it as available..."
Stephen even contacted the City Mayor, who apparently said that he'd do his best; and then nothing happened... "It's like they don't want to know" he says "It's not fair. I don't want it for nothing. I want to build a little bungalow with a nice garden and meld it into the area. There were houses on that site before I was born, so it's not like there's no precedent.
"The Council is selling loads of other land off to big business, but you don't stand a chance if you're just a small person who happens to have grown up in that area" he adds "It smacks of hypocrisy."
He wrote back to the Council stating "I can see, as an individual Salfordian, I'm not afforded the same opportunities as foreign investors"...and he has a point.
For over a decade Salford City Council has been flogging public land to developers and speculators...everywhere from Ordsall (LPC et al) to Broughton (Countryside Properties), to the Crescent (Fred Done), to the attempted sale of the urban forest garden in Blackfriars to Urban Splash, and land near the David Lewis Playing Fields to Salford University.
And Stephen is puzzled as to why this land isn't yet 'surplus to requirement', yet everywhere that big business combs appears to be up for grabs...
"As a cab driver I see all the land that's been purchased and all the beautiful buildings that have been destroyed and ripped down" he says "Yet I'm born and bred in this city and they won't let me buy this bit of land, to give a local guy a chance to build his own house in which to live..."
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