Take a walk down the Ordsall stretch of the Ship Canal, look over the railings and see the swans, ducks and geese dodging the garbage that's floating along the Peel Holdings owned waterway. There's giant tyres, tin cans, takeaway cartons, bottles, and even a railing sticking out of the water. It is absolutely disgusting.
Contrast this with giant works of art that were painted along the walkway by graffiti artists who came from all over Greater Manchester. While the garbage is still floating in the water, Salford Council with staggering cultural ignorance has destroyed the art, which it described in a recent report as "a growing problem" that will have "a significant negative impact on future investment potential".
The destruction is part of the `Ordsall River Park' improvements, costing over £1million (including almost £20,000 in management fees, £15,000 for graffiti removal and a whopping £523,461 contract to Morrison Construction Ltd, one of Salford Council's partners in its Urban Vision company).
The Graffiti Palace, now reduced to two walls owned by a private company, is to be replaced, according to the Council report, by "bespoke hoardings which would vastly enhance the riverside experience for users, improve the quality and attractiveness to support future private sector investment, and promote additional activity and usage of the routeway".
While this free to view, ever changing open air art gallery is trashed, literally across the road MediaCityUK is looking to spend £68,000 for an art installation on Salford Quays.
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