Protestors in Shipley win fight to save green space at heart of community (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Protestors in Shipley win fight to save green space at heart of community
8:00am Wednesday 20th March 2013 in News
By Chris Tate, T&A Reporter
Councillor Kevin Warnes (left), Carole Robinson and Rob Flitcroft at the site
Precious green space in Shipley under threat from a car park planned by housing giant Incommunities has been saved by campaigning local residents.
The targeted two open stretches are beside Thompson Street and Wycliffe Road and have provided leisure areas for generations of families in the gardenless surrounding homes.
But last month Incommunities put in applications to Tarmac over the grass fields it was gifted by Bradford Council when it took autonomous control of the district’s housing stock.
Its unpopular scheme was to provide 50 car parking spaces on the steeply sloping land for staff who work a half- mile walk away at its Crown House offices near Victoria Mills.
But residents banded together to fight the idea, set up a Facebook campaign and enlisted the help of councillors and the Telegraph & Argus.
Homeowners Kathryn and Matthew Bray wrote to Council planners.
“We are absolutely outraged that they are wanting to get rid of a safe and pleasing play and community area in order to put down more Tarmac in a town that doesn’t need it, especially in a residential area,” Mrs Bray said. Carole Robinson has lived there for 26 years and said car parks would kill the locality.
“It has an amazing community feeling and there is also the fantastic view to Salts Mill and beyond,” said Mrs Robinson, 60.
Neighbour Rob Flitcroft said he and wife Sharon happily paid a £20,000 premium for his end of terrace home which butts onto the grass.
“It’s the reason we moved here. Our children Oliver and Isabel can safely run out and play whenever they like. Sometimes there are 50 kids playing out here on the grass,” said Mr Flitcroft, 40, who set up a Thompson Street Facebook campaign and advertised an open meeting with the Telegraph & Argus held yesterday morning. By yesterday afternoon it was announced Incommunities had withdrawn both car park applications.
Green councillor for Shipley, Kevin Warnes, said it was great news the scheme had been suddenly shelved.
An Incommunities spokesman said the applications had been withdrawn due to the strength of complaints from residents.
Not so simple says...
3:28am Thu 21 Mar 13
Incommunities forgets it is a social landlord.
Thus it has to answer to its tenants and residents.
People should setup residents groups and demand more of Incommunities.
If Incommunities does not listen to the will of the people then the people can actually take this top heavy dinosaur of an organisation over.
Read up on tenants and residents groups. Read up on focus groups and compacts. TPAS tenant participation advisory service has some good info.
Tenants can, should they choose, technically vote in or out management at Incommunities and other housing providers...very scary for the housing providers thus they will never pursue a matter too long to cause up a stir. People power always wins and these housing providers and their auditors know it.