The Minutes of the Meeting of the Friends of Nutsford Vale Country Park on 
6th December, 2017 at the Blue Bell Inn

Attendees:
Mavis Holt, Barbara Moore, Claire James, Christine Prunty, John Prunty, Rita Edge, Barrie Edge, Bernie Cree, Jenna Ashton, Ruth, Steve Cree, Mark Lucas, Alan Gibson, Gloria Gaffney, Laura Collier, Donald Lee, Maureen Riding, Danny Heathcote, Cassie Spinks-Lewis
Apologies:
Ally Fogg, Pauline Sargeant, Finola McGrath
Welcome and Introduction:
Matters Arising: from Previous Meeting on 1st November, 2017
.   None
Main Meeting
Rita opened the meeting by introducing two guests, Dr Jenna Ashton who is the Impact and Engagement Manager of the Office of Research and Knowledge at Manchester Metropolitan University and Ruth who is a Research Associate at Manchester University.  Jenna's background is heritage and arts practice and Ruth's is Archeology. They explained that they are working on a project called G.H.I.A which stands for Green Infrastructure and the Health and Wellbeing Influences on an Aging population.  The green infrastructure is made up of official parks, none official green and brown sites, corridors such as canals and waterways and scruffy land that is transitioning. Some spaces are automatically protected, where other spaces fall between the gaps and that is when you get planning applications.  They are researching the benefit of green and blue spaces and the way we treat these spaces in an urban environment. They are focusing on the Manchester and Greater Manchester area.  They are interested in the cultural value, social value, heritage value, the impact on Health and about how we can capture the value of the site and if we have articulated the value of the space for the Friends of Group and also for people who use the site.  Jenna said that the Natural Capital Approach monitorizes space in pounds and pence.  The project is interested in aging/older groups.  Many different Groups and University people are involved ie The Council via Dave Barlow, the City of Trees, The Canal and River Trust, Age Friendly, Health, Geography, Sociology etc.  looking at different case studies.  If we are interested they would be working with us as participants.  Jenna said there was an advisor for Health from Stockport on this project as the project was trying to get a sense of how we can best understand the health and well being for and aging propulation in terms of both psychological and physical health.  The University wants to influence policy.  The deadline is 2019 and already sites in Chorlton, Whalley Range, Bury, Wigan are on board.  John mentioned the stress, anxiety and disruption this process is taking on us.  They wish to do one to one interviews with different people in different groups who have expressed an interest in being involved in the project in some way, arrange focus groups and have a living lab working in particular sites capturing people who actually use them and how they value them.
Alan said that we have a deadline of the 10th January, 2018 to object to planning and Jenna said she understood that there is a time scale regarding the Planning application.  There is not much time but had the Council asked for evidence of how the space was used.  We said we had told them.  She said it would be interesting to look at what we have submitted and then look at what else in addition could be added.  She would create a story, a moving piece of work that is embarrassing for Age Friendly to ignore, Green Environment to ignore.  If she could push it in other peoples directions who are working with them on the project and say come on we have this live case how are you going to respond?  Universities are usually slow to respond and they plan their research over a certain period and sometimes things do not fall into space over that period.  It is unusual for something like this to be very relevant to what they are talking about.
Steve said the Council were being bullied, Councillors by the Officers and Builders and missing the councillors out of the loop.  Jenna asked if the whole issue was being driven by the developers and we all said yes there was no legitimate reason why they should build on contaminated land.  Rita said that at the onset the builders reckoned they could roll it out worldwide if the build was successful.  WE ARE GUINEA PIGS.  The Council gets a school, the builders make lots of money and we get nothing.
Barrie said that the other frustration was that they did the ecology survey in Nov/Dec when the bats are hibernating.  Bats patrol a row of trees on Matthews Lane for a distance of about 200 yards.  They put a path at the base of these trees to allow traffic to come on the the site to do survey work destroying any insectorial habitat that is there and forcing the bats to go elsewhere.  No bats = No evidence.  Jenna said that they were interested in the geography of the site.  Anna Kilchrist is interested in urban biodiversity and the challenge within conservation.  It is a subject that is not treated seriously as for example there are lots of grey squirrels.  She asked if we had any information to do with the biodiversity of the species of the Vale.  Barrie said he had over the years submitted to Roadies and worked with Matt Allkirk and Paul Barrington.
We can put objections in to planning up until the night before the Planning Committee meet so this is 10th January, 2018.  A few weeks ago Sue Willis was sitting on over 300 objections.  The Builders have removed part of the fencing from the top of Longden Road to gain access for the current round of tests they are doing and Sue Willis is annoyed because they have not got planning permission to do that.  They have driven a pathway through Red Rose Forest and they have not had permission to do this.  It is part of the plan that is to go before the Committee.  We have sent photographic evidence to Sue over this.  This has not been approved or sanctioned.   Barrie and Rita went to the town hall for a meeting with five Councillors and the interim Director of Education and were told that for every tree that is removed they will replace it by three.  They are taking out 2874 and replacing them by 1200.  These will not be mature trees.  They are taking out 600 shrubs and bushes and replacing them by 1900 but these are not trees and this is a flood plain.  Where is the water to go especially as Ringwood Avenue already floods?
Jenna explained that the University had talented landscape designers who would work with the group to actually ensure it becomes a space that is accessible.  Barrie said the problem with that view is that parks are closely cropped and nobody understands naturalisation of an area.  Jenna said  the School of Art and the School of Architecture understand this relationship and they are frustrated as they are not consulted by the Council eg the bike lanes on Oxford Road.  These are talented and good professionals.  Rita explained that the brambles by the Grange School which is where the small mammels, birds and foxes nest are going to be ripped out.  A BMX track which is not at all countryparkish is being put in which will encourage off road bikes and vandalism.  The community orchard has been sited where it is protected and in the two years it has been planted has never been vandalised but they plan to put it between two paths (one is the outer boundary) and it is very boggy here so the roots will drown.  They want to destroy a natural environment to turn it into a semi natural environment.  Steve said they wanted to introduce animals and wildlife that has been there for the last 20 years.  Most have been drove out.  Jenna said there is an agenda that has got a lot of momentum behind it.
Jenna asked about Luftner Rahman who is the Executive Member for Education, Schools, Leisure and Culture.  We explained that the other Councillors seemed scared of him and if he says its safe to build then it is.  John said the Council have misled people on transport, open spaces that have been built on etc.  Green bank field is 2 inches under water.  The way it is going we will be living in a concrete jungle.
Cassie said everything comes down to fianances.  Every part of Manchester has had investment in their infrastructure except us.  They are investing but in industrial infrastructure ie Open Studio to rival places in Media City.  The Council are not selling the land but they pretend they are not getting money for it.  With the long lease there is a drip, drip of monies.  The limited company holds the rights and the Govermnment gives the Council back unringfenced money to do with what they wish.  There is no point in giving a report on the roads now because houses are still being built and the schools are half full.  It is five years time when schools are full when Cassie want to see the report.
Jenna asked who the builder was and we told her it was Laing O'Rourke.  They are one of six preferred suppliers but No 1 in th pecking order.  They do not pay taxes in the Uk as they are registered in Nicocia.  Cassie asked why they were putting all the technical details in the application and asking people to read it when they are not trained to do so.  To approach an area such as ours with these stats is morally wrong.  It is a transient area with many people not speaking English as a first language and some do not have access to the internet.  Of the three public consultations none of them were multi-lingual.  We know alot about ecology of the area, the history, trees etc but they would not use us.  Steve said the Council are very happy to put themselve on Granada Reports and Look Northwest to tell the City and the World how wonderful they are doing.  The Press say how great they are but they do the exact opposite and they do it all the time.  Jenna said it is because they are not called out publically.
Cassie felt they were goading us with little inaccuracies so they would get a reaction from us and eventually wear us down especially as the group has decreased in size over the last 12 months.  
When Sir Gerald, Father of the House, was ill and eventually died we were left with no voice.  The Councillors wouldn't speak, Andy Burnham says its not in his remit although one of his passions is transport and Afzal Khan...  There is a Conference in 2018 and Andy Burnham will be using the project saying they are listening to people and we can try to embarrass people to take an interest.  Jenna says it was her colleague Beth who had researched homelessness for twelve months both home and abroad and not Andy Burnham.
We explained to Jenna how we had been told initially about the testing twelve months ago and that they are now doing more test holes and water samples.  Steve said when we met with ARUP we had foolishly given them too much information that they had acted on in the Council's favour.  They don't know where the water is coming from but locals do and we are not going to tell them!!
Cassie said how residents had defeated developer Peel Holding to create Over Hulton neighbourhood plan.  She said we had the right to set up our own neighbourhood forum and rather than let outsiders decide on what is happening in our area it should be locals who decide.  The Council make three year plans and it proves very difficult to alter the plans when they are made and locals sit in with Councillors in meetings.  John said it is too late for us because everything is happening in the next three months.  If planning throws out the school build it will go to the Secretary of State and this will give us six more months and by then it will possibly be a different Council.  Fracking was mentioned and the frackers and Peel Holdings are private companies whose resources have to go before investors whilst the Council gets their money from the Government and seems limitless.  Jenna said the Vale is a perfect case study for the Council.  Seven years ago it was lauded as a "flagship amenity".  Jenna said Dave Barlow has put forward a strong case but because he works for the Council his hands are tied.  Rita said that at a park stategy meeting on Saturday the Council said they would have to rely on Friends of Groups to do the maintenance in parks but if we are losing our Country Park would we still want to do this??
The new report in the Planning Application states how toxic the land is and asks what will happen if they don't come and rescue it.  Jenna said this is spin.  They should be in hazmat suits if it is so bad.  Laura asked if tests were carried out when the orchard was planted but Rita said they had only been planted within the capping top soil.  Steve said he had told ARUP that schools such as the Dean Trust had soil taken away because the land was ex industrial and the contamination had seeped down only so far but on the Vale the contamination is coming from the very very bottom and when you take 3M of it away it may be clean coming back but it will be recontaminated in no time.  The bedrock is permeated with toxic waste.
Jenna reiterated that she wanted to work with us even though it will be a push with the time scales.  She thanked us and left with Ruth.
Rita, Barrie, Mark, Gloria and Donald had a meeting with the Taxpayer's Alliance who were very interested in supporting our campaign.  They want to arrange a demonstration and because of the Christmas market it has been decided to hold it in Levenshulme.  We will stop traffic and Mark Dunne has said he will dress as a tree.  The Tax Payer's Alliance will get the press involved and provide placards.  Bernie and Steve will bring the Nutsford Vale Banner and Steve said he might update it.   Save Nutsford Vale T shirts will be worn if you have one or carry a shopping bag or wear a badge just to show solidarity.   January 6th has been pencilled in at about 12 o' clock but Rita said she will have to let the Alliance know to see if this date is alright and of course Ally as it would be up his street.
The Email account has had an email from a person called M who says there is a rare species of plant on the Vale which is only visible between May and July.  It is called Adder's Tongue Fern.  It is in an article in the Metro Newspaper from 1994.  Bernie pointed out that the Metro did not begin until 1998 as she had checked but back then it was known as the Manchester Metro.  Central Library holds back records and at one point if she has time Bernie said she would have a look.
Rita had a copy of the new parks strategy and there was a piece on the back by Luftner Rahman at which Eddy the dog barked.  Cassie said she was making friends with Councillor Priest who is one of the Councillors on Planning.  She wants Ardwick Train Station reopening and so does Councillor Priest.
Afzal Khan has a surgery on Friday afternoon and John has an appointment at 3.40 p,m.  Is it his duty as an MP to raise the matter in the House of Commons as to why the Government are allowing this to happen on toxic landfull sites?  Sir Gerald Kaufman would have definitely done this.  Laura said that if public opinion is very weighted against the build happening then the politicians surely would sit up and take notice.  Steve pointed out that if 1000 people objected Afzal would not bother because he had a 35000 majority.
Donald said that on the 29th December a footpath in town on Coupland Street is going before the Planning Committee but in the North East.  When the Council want to do something dirty it goes to planning in either December or January when people are not interested.  This is a Manchester footpath.  Nutsford Vale Country Park is the first country park that has been put forward to be built on so it is big news and will be big news.  We should try to put it in the Daily Telegraph and Private Eye.  Mavis said it should go in the Daily Mirror as they get things done.  Donald said this is 2017-2018 not the 1960's.  If plannning decides to build in January it is not the end just the beginning.  The National newspapers will get hold of the issue. Bernie said if it was lost at Planning in January the next day all of the trees would be gone.
Bernie said that she had done an interview for the Northern Quota Website which is University run.  It was in our favour and some of the photographs Dannielle used were what Bernie had taken herself even though she is not a photographer.  Check the website out, it is under campaigns.
In May Bernie believes it is the 20th Anniversary of the Friends of Group formation.  She wanted to know what the group thought of either doing something for the community, planting a tree or/and doing something for the group to celebrate.  Alan is a founder member and we have some photographs of him from twenty years ago on the Vale.  We would like ideas.
Alan stated that by law we can have a meeting with the Head of Planning five days before the Planning Meeting so we must ask for this.  We are entitled to this and the Chair of the Planning Department is Jule Roscoe.
Mavis asked where was the pond in Red Rose Forest as she thought Red Rose Forest was just a concept.  Rita said the architect had for simplicity named the forest in the middle Red Rose Forest although it is all this.
Someone asked how we had taken over the maintenance of the site.  Rita said it was because no one else was doing it.  Mark said the Council were getting something for nothing.  The parks budget is not being cut this year or next year.  If the school is built Mark said we will be disillusioned on litter picks if the children throw sweet wrappers etc over to the Vale side.  Steve said if we don't cut the grass and bramble back near the Grange the children won't be able to come on.  They are putting a BMX track on the Vale a decision we have not made.  
Manchester City Council will be insuring events they run so we won't need to show copies of our insurance policy in future.
A.O.B.
See Claire for bags and Bernie for T Shirts

Next Scheduled Meeting:
Group Meeting:                                       3rd January, 2018 at The Blue Bell Inn 
                                                                  from 6.30 pm