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Council backs RSPCA move
Reporter: ERIN HEYWOOD
Date online: 13 March 2013
COUNCIL leader Jim McMahon has reassured animal lovers over fears for the future of the RSPCA shelter at Rhodes Bank.
Officials have told the centre that the town’s regeneration scheme will require the demolition of anything standing on council land around Rhodes Bank.
The council has promised to relocate the branch, but staff don’t know whether this will happen soon — or years from now.
New branch manager Lee Speed said he is “desperate” for answers.
Council leader Councillor Jim McMahon says his team is in talks with the RSPCA and will keep the branch informed.
“Oldham Council is committed to doing everything possible to keep the RSPCA in the borough. It does an outstanding job,” said Mr McMahon.
Worried RSPCA branch manager Mr Speed said: “There has been speculation about the branch having to move for several years, but our trustees were recently told we would definitely be rehomed and that it could take between six months and 24 months.
“The move could be within a very small time scale or a very big one. We have no idea which.
“If we are going to have to move, we want to know where to, and I think the public will want to know too. This is a very big facility with about 100 animals. We understand it’s a prime plot of land.
“But we have a lot of development work ourselves and won’t spend any money if we’re going to be turfed out within months of completing it.
“The council needs to be telling us a lot more about what they have planned.”
Comments
oh here we go again! it really is history repeating itself.
this side of town was subject to CPO's and buying up land well over a decade ago.
all with the promise of a new cultural quarter of oldham!
it started off ok with the new art gallery. but then it fizzled out. the bowling alley and cinema never happen. the library did follow a while afterwards.
but they sold themselves out to sainsburys and allowed their new store to destroy those plans.
looks like its happening all over again!
the only real use for the rspca's land would be to create a relief road to run along union street now that the council (liberal one) signed away the only true through traffic route through oldham town centre.
chances are the council have not even thought of that sort of urgent requirement that the town now needs.
ashton made sure theirs was done well before the tram works even started in their town centre too!
forward planning is not one of ombc's strong points.
Does this council have any idea what it's doing ???
"Demolition of Mumps railway bridge has opened up the eastern approach to the Town Centre. The public sector will
remodel infrastructure including completion of Metrolink and introduction of high speed broadband. This transformation
provides the opportunity for developers to progress quality employment and residential led proposals" This borders right up to the RSPCA who are obviously seen by this self obsessed council as an inconvenience to investment especially housing.
Next people will be implying the Metrolink has been constructed to only serve council interests & council building projects just because the stops are situated around the sixth form campus, Oldham college campus, University Campus, Civic Centre, Hotel Future, Gallery Oldham, Lifelong learning, Positive Steps. What next people thinking Oldham Sports centre is moving so it better serves the educational campuses and council buildings amongst the regeneration area?
All I think is more taxpayers money being forked out by (spend money like water Labour) and putting more people out of work with their cuts, within the frontline staff, to look after themselves.Basically, they should be not spending our cash on projects till they listen to the publics views.
I see that reducing the council from 60 to 40 was thrown out though!!!!
Have Your Say
What a load of bull Jim you don't just spring something like this on people out of the blue.There are loads of vacant sites in Oldham you don't start a plan with no direction or end point. Oops sorry we are talking Labour
By Silver Surfer @ 13/03/2013 14:40:27