MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FRIENDS OF NUTSFORD VALE 10TH JANUARY, 2018 AT THE BLUEBELL INN

ATTENDEES:  Rita Edge, Barrie Edge, Bernie Cree, Steve Cree, Mavis Holt, Barbara Moore, John Prunty, Cassie Spinks-Lewis, Mark Lucas, Ally Fogg, Frank Pollit, Claire James, Alan Gibson
APOLOGIES:  Apologies to Barbara Moore as I omitted her name from the apologies of the minutes of last week.  Sorry Barbara.
This week apologies from Maureen Riding and Christine Prunty.
WELCOME:
MAIN MEETING:
Rita welcomed everyone and explained that the Planning Committe Meeting was the next day at 2.00 pm.  Rita said that Councillor Bernard Stone had asked the Chairman of the Planning Committee to consider a Site visit by the Planning Committee.  You are allowed to go around with the committee and tell them about the Park but you are not allowed to say anything about the build which will prove very difficult but if we come over in a positive, friendly way this may have some influence on the decision.  But they may decide that they don't want to visit the site and for the build to go ahead.  We would then get in touch with the Secretary of State to see if he would overturn the decision.
The reason for this meeting was to gather together the thoughts of the group so that we could write a speech that could be read out at the Planning Meeting on Thursday on behalf of the Friends of Nutsford Vale.  It had already been decided that Ally would write the speech in his own words and also he would read it out as at the last Scruitiny Meeting he had done such a fantastic job.  He would be the only one with the opportunity to speak and had just 4 minutes so everything we wanted to say would have to be considered properly.  Cassie had asked to speak on behalf of Residents but they had said she couldn't as she was such a prominent member of FONVALE which seemed unfair as the issues to do with having the build sited right outside your house is slightly different from the views of users of the Park.
Some members of the group had written their own speeches and it was very interesting to see the personnal reasons for people not wanting the build and some people just wrote various thoughts rather than a full speech.  Rita began.  She felt everything had been said over the past few months so she felt that saying they would be charged with corporate manslaughter if the build went badly wrong would be the best way forward.  Bernie wanted to say about how FONVALE had developed the site and felt badly let down that no compensation was available (not monatory but something for the rest of the Vale that was not something the Builders had lifted from othe documents) and the lack of reinstatement of the wildflower meadow.  Steve was concerned about everybody making lots of money out of the build ie the Architects having new offices and The Builders being offshore.  Barrie had wrote down lots of separate points that concerned him and one was that the trees that would be ripped out were not being replaced 3 for 1 as promised by Amanda Corcoran and Councillor Rosa Battle at a meeting he and Rita had a while back.  Mark was concerned about the traffic.  Cassie wanted to get the tone of the letter right.  We discussed whether it should be angry, pleading, informative, direct but we settled on firm.  Ally had been taking notes and he decided to leave and go home as he had a deadline of 2 pm the next day to write it by.
At 11 am the following day Rita and Barrie were meeting Harry Fone of the Taypayer's Alliance who was coming up from London to support us at the Planning Meeting.  He wanted us to hold a demonstration outside the cenotaph at 12 noon.  Steve had printed a few leaflets and Rita was bringing some of the old ones that Ally had produced a few months ago.  We were bringing t shirts to hang on poles as placards and Bernie was bringing the FONVALE banner.  We would be asking people to sign up to back us and give their email addresses so we could keep in touch with them.  We hoped the weather would be fine but of course with it being cold we would have to dress warmly.
Rita explained that we have The Levenshulme Labour Party, City of Trees, RSPB,  Liberal Democrats, Manchester and Salford Ramblers, Friends of Platt Fields,  Open Space Society, Greater Manchester Pedestrian Society, and also many individual residents of the local area who have objected.  Rita and Bernie read out a couple of the letters of objection which were both thorough and good.  The Open Space Society had also done another press release on the situation, they have really backed us fully.
On Tuesday an article about the proposed build had been put on the internet on the Manchester Evening News Website telling of our concerns and those of Residents and it was also in Tuesday nights Manchester Evening News.  We are pleased that the situation we are in is being recognised at last.

Next Meeting:                                       Wednesday 17th January, 2018 @
                                                                Blue Bell Inn, Levenshulme @ 6.30 pm
Litter Pick:                                              Wednesday, 7th February, 2018 @ 10.00 pm
                                                                 Bickerdike Entrance.