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Protesters keep up asbestos battle

Michael Byrne
15/ 3/2005

HUNDREDS of people are expected to pack into the Town Hall on Wednesday (7pm) in the latest stage of a campaign against controversial plans to develop the former Turner's asbestos factory site for housing.

Speakers from the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group will tell the meeting how former workers were left a terrible legacy of disease.

Other speakers include Geoffrey Tweedale, author of the book 'From Magic Mineral, to Killer Dust: Turner and Newall and the Asbestos History.'

Jason Addy, spokesman for the Save Spodden Valley group, will also speak about the latest developments in the group's campaign to ensure that if the housing scheme does go ahead, local residents will not be put at risk from asbestos fibres being discharged into the air.

Mr Addy said: "We hope the meeting will make people realise there is still a lot of work to do to ensure this is a safe development. We also hope the developers will realise we're not going to go away."

The meeting has been organised by the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre and Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group.

Hilda Palmer, of the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre, said: "We're not against the development but public health has to be the main priority and the developers must prove they will remove any asbestos from the site safely.

"Asbestos can cause cancer and thousands of people in Rochdale died because of exposure to it. We hope people can come to the meeting and find out the facts of what is going on and what could happen."

Landowners MMC Developments and construction firm Countryside Developments want to build 650 homes on the site and have submitted a planning application to Rochdale Council.

More than 1,000 people have written to Rochdale Council objecting to the proposed development.

The council has brought in outside experts to assess the site and has pledged that no development will be allowed to proceed unless it is safe.

It has also set up a Turner Brothers' working party which is planning regular meetings with the developers to discuss people's fears. At the latest meeting developers pledged to make the site safe for development.