This website was created by me, a local resident with two daughters aged ten and three respectively, because of my outrage at the sale of public land for the benefit of a few at the expense of the many. The views expressed on it are mine, although they are almost certainly shared by others.
So, to put my cards on the table.
The Park is very important to me, because I am not one of those mothers who believe that their children must be protected from all the evils in the world, and kept inside to overdose on television and computers, unless held firmly by the hand. I believe that, in spite of the small risks, children need to play outside by themselves: To experience the world; to learn independence and to learn to recognise danger and to take the appropriate actions to avoid it.
However, to do that, children need a safe environment and that is what Newton Park gives them – a haven, hemmed in on all sides by Park Road, Chester road, Baguley Brook and the Bridgewater Canal.
I want my children to be fit and healthy, but I am not an idiot. I will not let my children ride bikes on roads so congested that it can take twenty minutes to travel quarter of a mile, nor will I put those same bikes in my car and drive miles from where we live to obtain fresh air. Where, then, can they experience the fundamental things of childhood, if not in the Park given for the purpose?
When the idea of selling Watling Gate, a grade II listed building, was first mooted by Trafford, I was ambivalent, since (I thought) anything was better than letting the building standing empty, vandalised on a regular basis. However, since then, my position has changed and hardened.
The obvious reaction is to say "preserve the building", but now I am inclined to think this is just a knee jerk reaction since it is not particularly old, of little historical interest, and ugly. More importantly, owing to the low roof, which makes it easy to climb onto, it can never be secure.
The Park, though, is a different proposition. It has been neglected and, at the moment, looks like nothing much, but it could be fantastic and the only thing standing in the way of this is the house - oh, and a lack of money, resources, etc, but those are minor issues!. The land was bought at different times and this has resulted in an unfortunate layout - essentially a short-stemmed ‘T’ with the house sitting at the junction of three entirely distinct areas, none of which can be seen from any of the others. Imagine, therefore, what could- be done with the park if the house was not squatting at the centre of it.
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However, I realise that my views are not the only ones, and, if you have alternative suggestions, either for the house or the Park, let me know and I promise to reflect your comments here. In addition, the Council received 46 letters objecting to the sale of Watling Gate and the adjoining Parkland. It is the aim of this web site to summarize and make public all the views expressed.
The site was created in rather a hurry, and is by no means complete. More will be added regularly, so it is well worth checking back to see what is happening!
Melanie Foster, 21st Oct 2006
UPDATED 31st Oct 2006
Since this was written, my views have changed again, and I think that, following discussions with other individuals, I have reached a compromise that satisfies all parties (except Trafford MBC of course) and is a definite improvement on the original plan in that it:
