MP bangs drum for move to Churchill

AN MP has stepped into a row over a plan to move a key Whit Friday brass band contest to a new site.

Phil Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has attacked the decision to reject plans by Uppermill contest organisers to move on to Churchill playing fields next year from the King George site.

Oldham Parks Department is writing to the Uppermill contest organisers outlining reasons for rejecting the scheme.

It says bands attending the busy Greenfield contest would have used the same access routes as Uppermill’s proposal — with potential to create further congestion and traffic management chaos.

Churchill has historic drainage problems which would be further exacerbated by around 70 coaches driving over the site’s running track.

This would also put other long-standing recreational usage and events, such as the Saddleworth Summer show, under threat.

And they cite safety issues surrounding access from Uppermill to Churchill along narrow Bridge Street and a restricted footpath which is unsuitable for hundreds of spectators to access the event.

Saddleworth South councillors, Greenfield and Grasscroft Whit Friday committee and the local residents association opposed the idea.

But Mr Woolas, Minister for Immigration, is calling for a public meeting to debate the proposal. “There must be a solution to this,” he said.

“Families and other spectators would enter the fields on foot from Uppermill and coaches and bands would enter from Wellington Road Greenfield — plus there is some car parking there.

“If bands want to walk to the Greenfield contest from Churchill — about 600 metres — and providing the weather is good, it would cut down on traffic movements.”

He added: “I would have thought this new arrangement would benefit both contests.”

But Oldham Council has rejected the move after a detailed investigation of the scheme, including consultation with local authority officers, organisers of neighbouring Greenfield band contest and police.

Councillor John McCann, cabinet member for community services, said: “We fully understand Uppermill contest organiser’s aspirations but have concluded this scheme is totally impractical.

“Relocating the event so close to the Greenfield band contest would ultimately cause more problems in terms of traffic flow and public safety.

“At present we are also actively trying to access funding to tackle the drainage problems at Churchill.

“The proposal to use it for Uppermill band contest is clearly not a long-term solution that will help us tackle that problem.

“The site is already potentially boggy at that time of year, and having such a large volume of coaches and spectators would potentially reduce it to a quagmire.”

Councillor Christine Wheeler, an Uppermill resident, explained the popularity of Whit Friday contests meant some traffic management issues were inevitable, but manageable. She said: “The King George site has proved an excellent venue for the band contest for decades and moving it is simply not necessary.

”We will, however, pledge to meet with the organisers of the Uppermill contest again to look at ways in which we can better manage the traffic flow.”

Councillor Richard Knowles added: “Police have assured us they have full confidence in the King George site.”