Manchester council has put a controversial expansion of Hough End leisure centre ‘on hold’ after receiving a ‘huge amount’ of comments about the plans.
Hundreds of people have joined a campaign against the scheme which would see fenced-off sports pitches built on open fields, as well as an extension of the centre and a new car park.
An online petition to ‘Save Hough End Fields’ from redevelopment has also gained more than 2,200 signatures.
The revamp of the site between Chorlton and Withington forms part of Manchester council’s long-term vision for it to become a ‘vibrant seven-day-a-week sport and leisure destination’.
But concerns have been raised about the loss of open space to two 3G football pitches that will be available only to paying customers, as well as baseball and softball pitches that the council says will be open and accessible for the public to use.
Campaigners are also worried about the potential impact of the development on residents and regular park users, as well as wildlife and air quality on Princess Parkway.
A public consultation on the planning application began in May but Save Hough End Fields campaigners say that not everyone was made aware of Manchester council’s proposals.
The consultation was extended until June 1, but the local authority has now announced that the planning process will be paused.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, the council’s executive member for neighbourhoods said: “We have received a huge number of comments during the Hough End consultation period, which will remain open until 1 June 2021, so we will put the planning application on hold to give us a chance to review, address and assimilate all this information.
“If there are any minor or material changes to the planning application, there will be a new consultation period with the local community and all the residents that have registered their contact details as part of the consultation process will be notified directly.”
The move has been welcomed by Pauline Hocking, one of the founding members of the Save Hough End Fields campaign on Facebook.
“It’s about time the council finally admitted they underestimated the strength of feeling in the community against this development,” she said.
“We call on them to use the pause to properly consult all users of the fields on what we’d like to happen in our shared open green space.”
Plans to expand the £9m Hough End leisure centre, which opened in 2015, include a viewing gallery, a cafe, and an extension of the existing gym and fitness suite.
It will also include changing rooms to replace the closed changing pavilion which will be demolished and replaced with 67 extra car parking spaces. An additional 125-space overflow car park is proposed on neighbouring land.
The existing layout of the playing fields would also be reconfigured to make way for the proposed 3G pitches, leaving 14 senior grass football pitches, two Gaelic football pitches and two rugby pitches.
This article originally appeared on Manchester Evening News.
