MARY BURNS AWARDS 2007

Welcome to the MARYS, the most glittering occasion in Salford’s community calendar. Here we honour the most deserving individuals and organisations in the city for their stupid statements, dodgy dealings and iffy activities over the past 12 months.

Please dress up in a monkey jacket or yer best frock while you read this and grab a glass of warm white wine. We would be grateful if you could applaud to yourself after each award is announced. Now, without further ado, let’s get on with the ceremony…

THE AFFORDABLE HOUSE IN YER DREAMS AWARD

Goes to…

Salford City Council Planning Officers

This award is in recognition of the advice that planning officers have given to the Council’s planning committee over the past twelve months. Last December the Council introduced an Affordable Housing Strategy whereby in all new developments in the city with over 25 dwellings there had to be at least 20% affordable housing.

In the prime real estate area of Central Salford, next to town, by the River Irwell and on the Quays (Broughton, Whit Lane, Ordsall, Langworthy etc), the actual figure for planning applications approved by the committee is less than 2% affordable housing. And in every case the planning officers have recommended that the committee approve the plans, via all sorts of loopholes…like arguing that multi-million pound luxury flat schemes would not be “commercially viable” with affordable housing etc (see past issues of the Star)

There could only ever be one winner in this category – although the councillors who actually sit on that planning committee and don’t question anything came a very close second…better luck next year…