Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
A little rainNews
| 
Submit Comments
Campaigners mark year of TBA action
Bethan Dorsett17/ 5/2005
A CROWD of 60 armed with poems, posters and purple ribbons held a protest ceremony on the borders of the old Turner Brothers' factory.
Sunday's event marked the anniversary of the day workmen entered the Rooley Moor Road site and felled 200 trees, sparking the formation of the Save Spodden Valley group.
The ribbons also remembered the victims of asbestos-related illnesses, for whom a minute's silence was observed.
Although security guards stopped the group placing posters on the fences, group spokesman Jason Addy hopes the ceremony would put pressure on the developers to plant replacement trees.
He said: "It is a year to the day when hundreds of trees were wantonly destroyed. What started as a campaign over woodland soon became one over asbestos."
A spokesman for developers MMC said the firm was within its rights to veto the posters.
"In terms of the posters that campaigners wanted to put on the security fencing around the site, the site is in private ownership and we do have a right to stop public notices being posted on our fencing without prior request and permission. The security guard did politely point this out at the time."
Residents are also calling on Countryside Properties and MMC Developments, who want to build 600 houses on the site, to attend a meeting of Spotland Area Forum.
At the latest meeting, head of planning and regulation Ken Smith said the companies were already in talks with a working party, set up by councillors, to look into local concerns about asbestos contamination.
Mr Smith said he understood the developers would consider attending the forum once changes had been made to its planning application, currently put on hold by the council.
But resident Mick Coates said: "Why are Countryside not here and why are we never consulted? I want them to talk to us, to let us be part of the process."
Meanwhile, the council has approved emergency closure plans for a popular footpath on the site.
On Monday the developers shut the path between Rooley Moor Road and Healey Dell for four weeks to stop residents straying on the land.
They claim that some of the soil has been disturbed and say the closure - which could be renewed for up to 18 months - was necessary for public safety.
The MMC spokesman said: "We regret the need to close this footpath but it is now necessary. Currently no plans exist to provide an alternative route and we do apologise to the community for any inconvenience during this closure."
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
There were a lot of people to mark the event- the line of people marching down Woodlands Road dissapeared out of view!
Also, the developers talk about 'public posters' - they were kiddies drawings!
Are they that ashamed of the woodland destruction that they must assert their 'property rights' to stop children's drawings and poems to be placed on a wire fence for a couple of minutes?
These toddlers will be old before the damage is repaired.
19/05/2005 at 01:15
Got an opinion you want to share?| Card | BT Fee |
| Virgin Credit Card | 2.98% |
| Capital One Low Rate Balance Transfer | 1.7% |
| Capital One Low Rate Platinum | HASH(0x2b5fe7fffed0) |
| Capital One Fixed Rate Card | 0.0% |
| Company | Typical APR |
| Platinum Exclusive Loan | 7.8% |
| Halifax (Semi-exclusive) | 8.6% |
| Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) | 8.6% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 8.7% |
| Lloyds TSB | 8.9% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
ICICI BANK HiSAVE Savings Account |
5.50% |
|
PRINCIPALITY BS e-SAVER |
5.35% |
|
ANGLO IRISH BANK Easy Access Account Issue 2 |
5.25% |
|
FIRST DIRECT Everyday e-Saver |
2.75% |
|
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER Online Tracker |
4.75% |
|
BRADFORD & BINGLEY eSavings 6 |
4.60% |
|
SAINSBURYS FINANCE Internet Saver |
4.00% |
|
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER eSaver - Issue 2 |
5.00% |
|
POST OFFICE Instant Saver |
3.75% |
I attended a meeting on Thursday 12th May where I told directors of MMC / Countryside what was happening that weekend. No objections were voiced to me at that meeting yet on the Sunday the security guard told the children that he had orders to take their posters down immediately.
As for a lack of communication- that Thursday meeting with MMC / Countryside was the ideal opportunity for them to let the councillors and Head of Planning present that they were applying for an Emergency Road Closure Notice- we were not told this momentous information- however, the PR agent for Countryside Properties had already faxed an "exclusive" press release to the Rochdale Observer at 1.12pm- over 4 hours before the meeting.
It was quite an "exclusive" - MMC / Countryside telling our local newspaper that they suspected that a public health scare had been created by "unauthorised removal of soil" - yet not informing the Head of Rochdale Council's Planning Department- the office currently responsible for this B#100 million planning application!
29/05/2005 at 00:15