Minutes of the meeting of The Friends of Nutsford Vale Country Park 29th January, 2018 at the Blue Bell Inn, Levenshulme
Attendees:  Barrie Edge, Rita Edge, Barbara Moore, Maureen Riding, Ally Fogg, John Prunty, Christine Prunty, Bernie Cree, Steve Cree, Mark Lucas, Danny Heathcote,  Gail Nicholson, Finola McGrath and Albie
Apologies:  Cassie Spinks-Lewis, Claire James, Bruce James, Mavis Holt, Alan Gibson,
Welcome:
Meeting:
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the Site Visit by the Planning Committee and also the subsequent Committee Meeting on the 8th February, 2018.
The Planning Committee will be arriving by coach on Matthews Lane entrance at 10.30 am.  Bernie has emailed Planning to ask them either to wear walking boots or wellingtons because of the condition of the paths.  We assume they will be going through the top entrance by the Grange School as a lot of work has been carried out along the path there last week.  A few people are going to greet them and the rest will be on the Vale walking dogs, chatting, carrying out various activities etc and hopefully accidently meet them.  Mark is going to bring his binoculars so he can bird watch.   Ally said we could do with someone "accidently" breaking down and holding back the traffic".  Cassie has suggested that she will do just right turns and press the button at the pedestrian light on Mount Road.  If they speak to anyone we need to be positive and praise the Vale but we don't want to annoy them.  We are not putting up the bedsheets as they now know we are against the build but we are leaving up the cases informing everyone what is happening.  Gail asked if we should wear the t shirts but Ally said it would be better if we didn't in the morning but wear them in the afternoon at the Committee meeting.
The Committee meeting is on the same day at 2.00 pm at the Town Hall.  It is in the same room as last time which is in the Town Hall extension but as yet we do not know how to access it as the rest of the Town Hall is closed because of the renovations.  Steve asked if we still were allowed to do the speech.  Rita said that because we didn't have chance at the last meeting she presumed we still had 4 minutes but if Amanda Corcoran was involved we probably wouldn't get it.  Bernie is going to email Sue Wills, The Planning Officer, to give confirmation that Ally, our chosen spokesman can speak.  Ally did not have the speech with him, he is leaving it as a surprise.  Rita said the last meeting was amazing with the number of people turning up to support The Friends of Nutsford Vale.  Ally asked where they had come from but nobody knew who they were.  We hope that they all turn up again.
The next litter pick is on Wednesday, 7th February at 10 am.  Continental Landscape have mowed and done some maintenance especially on the Grange Path and have been litter picking.  Mark said if we keep the bags and it goes pear shaped on the 8th they can have the litter back and Ally suggested taking them to the Town Hall.  Barrie said to leave them by the bins as usual and  it looks like we have done the litter pick and we do it every month anyway.  There is a lot of rubbish that has been dumped with what looks like deliberately smashed bottles.
Rita saw an article in the Planning section of the Manchester Evening News on Thursday 25th January, 2018.  It was hidden away in a small article .  It had also been in the newspaper the previous week.  They have to post it in a newspaper in London and one locally by law.  Manchester City Council wish to change 5.24 hectares of Nutsford Vale from open space to educational land.  The footprint of the area that includes the school, the sports hall, the pitches and the visitor's car park is about this size.  Ally thinks it is just a technicality that the Council have to adhere to.  With what has happened in the past the group are very reluctant to see whatever they do in a good light.  We don't know whether this will make a difference to us.  Bernie wonders if they lose on the 8th but win the following week would we be able to stop them.  Ally said it depended whether they were putting it in in case they won or in case they lost.  Barrie said at least if they got planning permission for a school they could not build houses.  Steve said he would find it funny if they won on the 8th and then lost the following week.  Barrie put the number into the Planning Portal but nothing showed up.  In any case both Barrie and Bernie have already objected both to the loss of green space and the toxidity of the land not being suitable for a school build and they had a reply saying they may be in touch.  Every one needs to object.  Steve wrote down the details on pieces of paper but for anyone not at the meeting these are the details. 
Reference no:  L/FYM/CVL2010/17870
Liz Treacy,
City Slicitor,
Manchester City Council,
PO Box 532, 
Town Hall, 
Manchester,
M60 2LA

or  at phlegal@manchester.gov.uk
NO LATER THAN 15TH FEBRUARY, 2018
Finola wondered whether we should take the notices out of the three cases on the Vale but everyone was in agreement that the Council know we are objecting and that the cases are informative.  They have already been updated with the information and about the Site Visit and the new Planning Committee Meeting.  We know people read the posters so they are keeping the Community aware of what is going on especially if they have not got the internet.
Laing O'Rourke are in financial difficulty at the moment as they need to pay a tax bill by 31st January, 2018 or they will receive a winding up order.  They should have paid by December 2017 put have got an extension to pay these monies.  They may go down like Carillion who we now know have gone bust and have taken £900,000 million from workers pension pots whilst paying directors vast amounts of money.  If Laing O'Rourke go bust another builder will take over their work like they are doing with Carillion's so this will not affect the proposed school build.
John had got a copy of the Planning papers at the last Planning Meeting and Nutsford Vale was Article 6 which he started to read but he had to move seats and when he looked at the new papers in his seat Article 6 was missing from it.  There were about 76 pages and some of the objections were on more than one page.  The University had put in one that was 52 pages long.  We can still object to about the evening of the 6th February so it will be read and included.  Steve asked if we could object to the new application and Rita said object to anything.
The next litter pick is Wednesday, 7th February, 2018

The Site Visit is at 10.30 am on Thursday, 8th February, 2018.
Everybody to be on Nutsford Vale between 10.00 and 11.30 on the day carrying out normal activities to show the site is well used.  If approached by Planning just be yourselves.  
The Committee Meeting 2.00 pm on Thursday, 8th February, 2018 at the Town Hall 
Wear your Nutsford Vale T shirts if you have one so everyone knows that you are in support of the Vale.