MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FRIENDS OF NUTSFORD VALE 
14TH FEBRUARY, 2018 AT THE BLUE BELL INN, LEVENSHULME

ATTENDEES:  Mavis Holt, Rita Edge, Barrie Edge, Christine Prunty, Linda Lee, Cath Thompson, John Prunty, Bernie Cree, Steve Cree, Danny Heathcote, Mark Lucas, Karen Hewitt

APOLOGIES:  Barbara Moore, Finola McGrath, Maureen Riding, Claire James, Bruce James, Ally Fogg, Alan Gibson, Laura Collier

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE LAST MEETING:
None

WELCOME:
Rita welcomed everyone to the meeting especially two new ladies, Cath and Linda.
MEETING:
Rita began by saying obviously we were dispondant after Thursday's decision by Manchester City Council to build the school on Nutsford Vale Country Park but the fight is not yet over and our thoughts now are what is our next step.
Many of us have already written letters to the Secretary of State, Sajid Javid who is in charge of Housing, Communities and Local Government as we need him firstly to consider calling in the Planning Application and secondly to actually call it in.  Rita said that Kate from Open Spaces has written in to him and Jenna and Ruth are going to contact Afzal Khan MP.  Bernie has written to Afzal Khan MP on behalf of the Group but as yet she has had no reply.  The new ladies did not know who these people were so Bernie set about explaining briefly who they were in regards to their help with the campaign.  She explained that Jenna and Ruth are two professors who come from the University and they have been doing a project on how green space helps people with regard to aging, mental and physical health.  It is called GHEA and in March it is rolling out across Greater Manchester with Mayor Andy Burnham as its head.  It is strange that as a Group, Mayor Burnham has failed to acknowledge us because we are not useful for him and his causes but in March this will be a major issue for him to deal with.  Cath has written to him but we told her many of us have and have received either no reply or a generic reply that does not apply to the Vale.  Jenna and Ruth used their research to compile a 52 page objection which was both interesting and tear jerking to read.  Everyone who has read it has been touched by what is happening and will happen to the Community if the Vale is built on.  Kate from Open Spaces is the head of an organisation that is formed from Friends of Groups who manage various Parks and Open Spaces and the group as a whole wrote a letter of objection.
Mark said it had been on the television saying we should be using more brown field sites and less green field for housing.  John said the problem there was that some brown field sites may have just been hay barns whilst others may be as polluted and as toxic as ours ie one is brown and the other is jet black.
Rita asked us about our views on the Planning Committee Meeting last week.  Rita thought they were for us until it came to the vote when the officers glared at the Committee as they were sitting directly opposite them.  At the first Committee meeting when asked if they wanted a Site Visit all of the hands went up but at this one they were very hesitant.  One of them said it was one of the hardest decisions they had had to make but they still voted for it.  Only one person abstained and she actually looked away from the Officers because she knew what was going to happen.  Of the six who said yes only one was from Cheetham Hill and the rest were from Didsbury, Northenden and Withington where the school was originally wanted.  Mark said Amanda Corcoran said that if the school build was not agreed to it would bring the City ito disrepute.  Another man said they could mitigate  Mavis said one person said she was not satisfied that all the other sites had been investigated and she was just ignored.  From the start there had been 10 sites which went down to 3 and these were investigated by a desk top study.  The only difference between the two other sites were that they were not council owned and Nutsford Vale is.  The amount of money that has been spent so far on testing etc they could have bought the other two sites and still have change in the Council coffers.
Cath asked if it would be a good idea to put a sample letter on facebook with regards to a letter to Sajid Javid.  Rita said we cannot do this as it has to be an individual letter.  Bernie explained that if sample letters were written to Planning and were nearly the same they would dump them because they have to be original and passionate.  Cath said she saw his details were put on line but that some people needed leading in to actually write.  Bernie said we could not do a sample letter but we can itemise what to write about ie air quality, traffic.  Bernie said that in regards to the Secretary of State from last Thursday we only have up to twenty one days for him to decide whether or not to call it in and so it could be any time he makes the decision.  Anyone wanting to write needs to do it now.  It is that urgent and if he says he will not call it in, that is that.  That line of attack is gone but if he calls it in we have a few months to compile our case.  The window of opportunity is narrow.  Rita said to write about loss of amenity, air pollution and air quality, traffic congestion, permeability of site, taking away two of the main entrances on Matthews Lane, loss of trees, highly toxic site, wildlife etc.
They are taking the wildlife away in crates and then bringing some back.  2800 + trees are being replaced by 1200 saplings which represents 35% of the tree cover.  John said that a scientific survey said that shrubs are better than trees to combat air pollution but they are ripping the bambles out where the small mammals live.  Cath said we need to find some rare newts but Rita said when we told them we had bats at the very beginning they said "prove it".  
Steve said that all the tests they did in 2017 and all the tests at the start of this year are all in their favour as you get better test results in bad weather but all the results have come back worse than they thought they would be.  John mentioned the pipe that had to be vented for 5 minutes.  Bernie said they are starting to rust.  Steve said the bedrock is perforated after being eaten by poisonous chemicals.  He asked Rita if they had found out how the water is moving?  Rita said she would ask Jenny at ARUP.
Cath asked who owned the rest of Nutsford Vale.  Steve told her Landcare and the back bit with the stripping plant belongs to the Water Board.  The Council keeps saying it is all the Vale but it is not technically as it is not administered by the Friends and we can only walk on it with kind permission.  It is full of rubbish and an eye sore.  It is not big enough for the school build.  Bernie said each site was a landfill site but the one they have chosen for the school build is the most recent, the most toxic and the deepest.  Why they want to put children on somewhere like that we do not know but if they could give us a signed letter stating that the build will be 100% safe and this was guaranteed then we would accept this but they can't.  Nothing is 100% safe.  The builders could not find anyone to take the toxic soil away.  Barrie said they were only going to dig up the top metre or so but there is another 30 metres below this.  Cath asked about the toxic materials but Rambols and Laing O'Rourke have said they can build from the very beginning.  Rita said they have been desperate to build here so they can sell how they do it around the world and make a great deal of money.  Mark has been researching the methods of piling.  They mention CFA which is a method of piling that involves low levels of vibration.  Stuff is scooped out or pushed to the edges.  The pressure must build up somewhere else especially when the building is placed on top.  Cath asked will it cause any subsidence.  She said Hexham Road on the Longsight Road side of the Vale has already had two or three houses subsiding.  John said no. 18 and no. 20 Matthews Lane had to be demolished and another at the end of Prestage Street when the gable end fell down were also demolished. 
John had asked the education if they were going to inform children and teachers if they would inform staff as to the nature of the land.  They said they were not but he said surely parents had the right to know what is on the site.  It does not matter a damn about the children's education if they have not got their health.
Steve has compiled a letter to the Consulate General of the Muslims which happens to be in Fallowfield.  Mavis mentioned Muslim Aid and contacting them and also the Medical and Law Schools as many muslims are encouraged to follow these careers by their parents.  Rita said most of them went to private schools.  None of the information had been interpreted in English and we had highlighted this to the Council.  Cath said ten years ago there were 22 different languages spoken in Cedar Mound and Mavis said now it is 44.  Cedar Mount when they were called Spurley Hey and were next to Nutsford Vale had asked to extend their playground onto the Vale but were refused permission because of the toxidity of the land.  The Grange wanted to have allotments to grow food but they were told they had to use raised beds because of contamination and this is in writing.
Cath said did we need to think of more publicity at this point.  We have tried so many avenues and been turned down or ignored.  Bernie said we have been on the radio a few times and in newspapers but the BBC will not touch us.  The Manchester Evening News would not do an article at first even though several of us had wrote in but eventually they have written some articles for the newspaper and on line.  Manchester TV had seemed really keen but at the last minute cancelled but did not rearrange the date they just cancelled completely.  Rita was on Manchester Radio live after the decision of Thursday and bits were heard on every news bulletin on Friday morning.  Cath said we needed to put it in the public eye.  She has already written to Kate Humble, Michaela Strachan and Chris Packham.  Michaela said she was sorry she could not get involved but she would retweet it. Bernie said as a group we have written to hundreds of people and groups.
Bernie asked what everyone thought of the Site Visit.  It was disgusting how they just went up and down one path.  We were told we could point out interesting features on the Vale but they were on and off too fast. 
Rita said she thought we had done as much as we could until the decision is made either one way or the other.
Mavis had a letter from Andy Burnham's office about a meeting on Friday at Manchester Museum between 1-5 concerning the GHEA project and connecting people with nature.  A few said they were going although they do not have tickets.  Ruth and Jenna are not involved on Friday although one of their colleagues is.  Any one going has to act in a reasonable manner.  Mavis said to play it by ear and try to get Andy Burnham on our side.
The next event on Nutsford Vale is the Easter Egg Hunt.  Last year it was very well attended even though it clashed with other local events.  We are going to invite Afzal Khan MP to give prizes out again this year.  Last year he stayed for the whole event and a really good time was had by all.  We are arranging for the Easter Egg Hunt to be on 24th March, 2018.
There are many people who use the Vale from various organisations ie the Ramblers and Birchfield Walking Group to peope cutting through from one end to the other.
Cath asked who will be notified when they make the decision and will you put it on Facebook.  Rita said that if she has left an e mail address then Bernie who is our Secretary will write to everyone in the Group explaining the decision as she should be the first person to hear.  Anything that happens within the Group is shared by Bernie so if she wants anyone to do anything she contacts them directly.  Some people write letters, some go to events, some do both.   Everyone has skills within the group.  

Next Meeting                                           AS YET THE MEETINGS ARE ON HOLD 
                                                                    UNTIL WE FIND OUT IF SAJID JAVID                                                                               
                                                                    MP WILL CALL IT IN OR NOT

Next Event                                                 The Easter Egg Hunt on 24th March           
                                                                     at a time to be arranged.

A special thanks to Ally who both wrote and spoke passionately at the Planning Committe Meeting on behalf of the Group.  
Thanks also to Christine and John for providing us with chocolates at the meeting.  They were very much apprieciated.