Labour rush through planning permission for private football facility in historic Heaton Park

10.49.00am GMT Fri 12th Feb 2010

2000 residents and English Heritage were ignored

Manchester Liberal Democrats are shocked that Manchester's Labour run planning committee rushed through planning permission for a private football development in the grade II listed Heaton Park despite the objections from English Heritage, the Historic Gardens Society and over 2000 local people, and without even visiting the site.

At yesterday's meeting of Manchester City Council's planning committee an application from Goals Soccer Centre PLC to build a sports development comprising:- a detached building to form changing rooms with ancillary store, multi use rooms and cafe bar, together with13 artificial football pitches, six tennis and netball courts and a climbing wall with associated parking, landscaping, boundary treatments and associated floodlighting adjacent to the existing Bowling Pavilion, in Heaton Park, was approved.

Lib Dem Planning spokesman Councillor Graham Shaw said, "I could not believe the rush. I know this part of the park and could see that English Heritage were right, but most Labour members of the committee wouldn't listen and would not even agree to go and look for themselves. I am not against sports facilities but this one is far too large and intrusive for this particular location, and will spoil the character of a beautiful area of this historic park."

Lib Dem Councillor John Grant who is also a member of the planning committee said, "If this is what Labour are prepared to allow in this historic park it doesn't give me great confidence in how they will manage the grade II listed park in my area, Alexandra Park."