Development: Bridgewater Park and Proposals for Salford Forest Park
|
|
|
Development: Bridgewater Park and Proposals for Salford Forest Park |
August 2003 saw the opening of the Bridgewater Park football field and parkland, near Moss House bridge in Boothstown. The facility has two top quality full-sized football pitches and two mini-soccer pitches for young children from Boothstown Junior Football Club. There will also be a pavilion building on the site and a car park. The facility has received funding from Peel Ltd, from Viridor Waste Management (through the Landfill Trust), local community groups, the Football Foundation and Boothstown Junior Football Club. The Football Club has around 400 registered players aged from 5 to 16, and is the main user of the site. The new Park is a valuable new community resource for the children of the area. The photos below show the Park under construction in November 2001. The sanded areas are the football pitches under preparation.
The page Mossland & Woodland on this Web site describes the currently unspoiled open land south of the Bridgewater Canal at Boothstown. The largest remaining local farm, Malkins Wood Farm, lies in this area and is described in further detail on the page Farms and Folds. Another page describes how Boothstown and the surrounding area has undergone enormous 20th Century Expansion, particularly in the last decade.
In October 1998 local newspapers reported proposals by Peel Estates Ltd to undertake large-scale development of the land south of the canal, especially at Malkins Wood Farm. The proposals include the opening up of the land to wider public access. There would be a series of trails, play areas and visitor centres in Botany Bay Wood and on the present farmland between the wood and the canal.
The proposal includes a new horse-racing course on the site of Malkins Wood Farm. It would be a major project that would involve the construction of a new access road to the site from the East Lancashire Road to the north (the entrance to an access road opposite the Queen's Arms was constructed in mid-1999).
The development would mean greater public access to the woods and fields south of the Bridgewater Canal, and would be a welcome if the status quo is not an option and if the resulting area is well managed. The whole scheme is known as the Salford Forest Park. A planning application was submitted to Salford City Council in September 2001, and the community was invited to comment on the plans. The plans are the subject of much interest in Boothstown, with views on the scheme (and its proposed details) varying. The drawing below is taken from the planning application notice that was circulated around the community.
In autumn 2001, local residents were invited by Salford City Council to comment on the proposals, and some 1,000 response letters were said to have been received. In January 2002 two public meetings were held, one at St Mark's in Worsley and the other at the British Legion in Boothstown. The meetings were well attended - 1,000 people were reported to have turned up, and some people were locked out of the Boothstown meeting. The local press reported that most attending were opposed to the proposals, and that disagreements between local councillors had developed along party lines. Salford City Council must decide whether to make its own decision on the planning proposal or refer the proposal to the Secretary of State. The latter option would involve a public inquiry, and some residents groups opposed to the plans have begun fundraising to pay for their legal representation at that inquiry if it is established.
In May 2002 a campaign group called RAGE (Residents Against Greenbelt Erosion) produced leaflets against the proposals, and outlined its plans to opposed the development. The group was formed by Worsley Village Community Association, Boothstown Residents Association and Worsley Civic Trust and Amenity Society. The groups aims to make formal objections to the planning application, both to the City Council and to any public inquiry, and to organise a campaign against the proposals.
In January 2003 the local press reported that Peel planned to plant more than 24,000 new trees on a 24 acre site in Botany Bay Wood to help conserve the colony of grey herons. The planting would restore areas felled during the second world war, and would be part of a revised planning proposal.
In 2003 Malkins Wood Farm ceased to be a working farm.
From the Salford Advertiser, 8 April 2004: "Controversial plans for a multi-million pound racecourse in Worsley are expected to be unveiled next week. But the proposed launch looks set to be met with hostility from residents. Peel Holdings is expected to submit the application for Salford Forest Park shortly, after which public consultation will begin on a massive scale. 'We have been waiting two years for this,' said Worsley councillor Beryl Howard. 'All the associations in the area, Boothstown Residents, the Civic Trust, and the Worsley Village Association, will hold public meetings to discuss the plans. If the public were to be in favour of the idea then we would negotiate with Peel to get the best for the area, but the majority were against it last time.' Sources close to the project have revealed the proposed track would accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 racegoers in a spectacular glass stand, designed to look like it is floating on air, and will boast bar and restaurant facilities. Just over two years ago Peel asked the council for outline planning permission to develop a site in Boothstown as a racecourse, but withdrew the application before it got to committee. 'We sent them away with a list of about 60 questions and then we never heard anything about the racecourse again. A lot of people think that the issue has gone away but it hasn't,' added Cllr Howard. 'The whole thrust of the Destination Worsley tourism strategy has been to highlight the existing historical features of a beautiful area, and to encourage more visitors to visit those attractions without inflicting the mass intrusion of 10,000 individuals.' Although Peel has refused to divulge any details of the plans as they prepare for a national media launch next week, they say changes to the previous scheme should put some minds at rest. Peter Nears, strategic planning director at Peel Holdings said: 'The new application will include changes from the one submitted two years ago. We consulted widely following that application, listened carefully to what was said, and the revised plan reflects that.' He said the contentious pub and golf driving range had been left out while the racecourse, grandstand, equestrian centre and eventing facilities have all been reviewed. He added: 'We have particularly addressed local residents' concerns regarding traffic and lighting. The transport strategy adopted takes advantage of the proximity of the M60 by taking access at the earliest possible opportunity, thereby minimising traffic implications on local roads. The improvements we are proposing will not only cater for race day traffic but will provide significant improvements all year round.'"
This page last revised 12 April 2004. The page will be updated as the development process continues.
For more on Malkins Wood Farm and the currently unspoiled land south of the Bridgewater Canal follow these links: