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Residents’ fury over Latics stadium plan
Date published: 14 October 2009
A RALLYING cry for urgent action over the new Latics stadium plans was made by Failsworth residents who demanded a meeting with council chiefs and Oldham Athletic directors.
About 80 people packed into Mather Street School yesterday during the Failsworth Ward PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting to oppose the football club’s plans for a £20 million, 12,000 seater stadium with community sports facilities on a 30-acre site off Broadway.
Residents unanimously agreed to sign a petition demanding an urgent meeting with council leader Howard Sykes and chief executive Charlie Parker for them to explain their support for the new stadium bid and why they had refused ward councillors’ pleas for an earlier meeting.
A second petition rejecting the stadium proposal, as well as its support from elected and unelected council officials, was also passed around and signed.
The heated discussion, which replaced the night’s original agenda, happened after Failsworth residents leafleted homes urging people to raise concerns on the night.
Warren Bates, from Failsworth, asked why a meeting between residents, council officials and Oldham Athletic directors had not been arranged, as proposed at the last Failsworth PACT meeting in August.
Councillor Jim McMahon said Latics and Oldham Council had failed to convene a meeting in Failsworth and he was still waiting to hear back from Mr Parker about a meeting for local residents to air concerns.
He also said there was clear evidence that the land at Lower Memorial Park had been paid for by public subscription and purchased by Failsworth Urban District Council.
Councillor McMahon said: “Before you get Oldham Council to do anything you have to get them to accept the Memorial Park is a significant part of Failsworth history.
“Until the council acknowledge the status of the site, you really can’t have a debate on what grounds we can fight on.”
However, Pete Batty, from Broadway, said: “We can’t wait until we’ve got all the information because by that time the move will be passed. Let’s move now, it’s an urgent thing.”
Residents from Failsworth, Broadway, New Moston and Newton Heath raised concerns about the stadium plans including traffic and parking problems, houses being devalued, and fan trouble.
One woman said: “Instead of regeneration, this is going to be the degeneration of Failsworth.”
Residents also asked why no one from Oldham Council could be brought to a meeting and said they felt the council was not properly listening to them.
Councillor Peter Dean said ward councillors needed as much information as possible from local residents to fight what proposals came forward.
A leaflet and questionnaire about the issue, funded by Labour Party members, will now be sent out to 10,000 homes across Failsworth.
Comments
get that petition up and running. alot of people would sign it based upon ombc's current underhanded rushed through schemes they've done without consulting the public.
Latics have already had an open forum that certain individuals decided not to attend. Traffic links in Failsworth are better than at Boundary Park, so 23 home matches a year will not be a problem. There is no evidence that house prices will fall, and they may even increase as a result of regeneration. Latics are also a family club with a history of well behaved fans. Do these 80 people represent the whole of Failsworth, and why should they halt a much needed multi-million regeneration project?
This is everything that is wrong with our town. Nobody will allow anything positive to happen in their own back yard.
I don't understan how the new stadium at broadway eould cause any problems to residents in Newton Heath, and as for ( one womans comments ) about it not being regeneration but degeneration get a life woman failsworth is a DUMP.
WILL THE WATCHER PLEASE OPEN HIS EYES! Failsworth is half Manc. Nearer to City than Oldham!
Is it any wonder Latics have so few fans. The club hires Lee Hughes, tries to grab part of Clayton fields (again) and now, when our lads are dying in Afghanistan, want to grab the memorial land. They have absolutely no moral compass. Clearly some fans (not all) who want this scheme don't give a damn about our lost soldiers. Shame on them.
Ridiculous. As has been already mentioned, there was a meeting arranged at which councillors and OAFC directors were present. Residents were invited to attend, but very few did. If the issue is as important as they're now claiming, they would have turned up. They didn't.
And as for “Instead of regeneration, this is going to be the degeneration of Failsworth.” Behave yourself. What a ludicrous statement.
Chaddyender is right - Failsworth is a dump but that doesn't mean we have to accept rubbish plans from Oldham Council. Once again the council is riding roughshod over residents views, pretending to listen and carrying on regardless.
Firstly how dare Chaddyender call Failsworth a dump - it's a much better place to live than some parts of Oldham I could mention!! And secondly I don't see how spending more of our money on moving Latics from where it is now is a good thing? Why not just re-develop the site which is already there, the provisions for parking etc are already in place and I am quite sure that after all these years the residents who live there are used to it - so why move it to Failsworth? Stay away I say!!
Ripleylatic: Failsworth itself has not been a part of the City of Manchester for 115 years, since the Failsworth Urban District, in the county of Lancashire, was created following the 1894 Local Government Act. Moreover, 80 people attending a meeting equates to less than 1% of Failsworth's population!
Stupid idea all round. The three amigos simply want to get their money back by selling BP, and that is the sole reason for the move.
as a resident of failsworth,i must say to the latics owners that not everyone in the area are opposed to the stadium plans, as a lifelong latics fan i look forward to the new ground it can only be a boon to the area,and hopefully attract more fans and give the owners the cash to buy a better class of player,and help us get back to the premiership,if bolton wigan and burnley can do it why not oldham? if ihave any reservations i feel the ground will not be big enough.
Anybody should see that the sensible option is to redevelop Boundary Park - as was the original plan put forward by the club's board and supported by the council. Why the change? Because it's an opportunity for a few people to make a tidy quid.
And what nobody has mentioned in this whole debate is Hillstone Developments. They sponsored Latics once. Why? They then went bankrupt and the owners did a runner despite Alan Hardy's support. The redevelopment of BP was then abandoned. This has been conveniently UNinvestigated and even ignored by the Chronicle's reporting.
as someone who has lived in failsworth all his life,may i please apologise to the three amigos over the nimbys in the area,i for one think the new stadium will be a boon to the area and hopefully kick start a move up the divisions which is where a town the size of oldham should be.the whole town should be behind the plans.
if i have any misgivings it is the ground will hardly be big enough for a premiership team, which must be the eventual aim
I think the stadium is a good idea. Does that mean i hate soldiers? No, stop labelling them because they want their stadium to move up in the world,
I hate people who complain nothing is ever done and then when it is hate that it's done!
oldham are trying to build something positive, no one lives within half a mile of the redevelopment but still complain,
Tell you what, let's just leave everything exactly how it is for ever shall we?
Have Your Say
Mr bates is right when he says that this meeting was promised at the last pact meeting in august from memory this was going to be organised as a residents meeting by Cllr McMahon not by the council so stop blaming others Jim and get it sorted or do you need to keep this going till after the elections (it will be to late by then)?
By Barros @ 14/10/2009 12:47:36