A PETITION has been launched by the Friends of Turn Moss following the revised Stretford Masterplan that will see additional and improved leisure facilities to the Turn Moss site.

The proposal includes an all-weather 3G football pitch that will be available for the community including some free access, a 60 seater café, public toilets, children’s play area, improved changing facilities, a trim trail with outdoor fitness equipment and improved car parking.

Following a public consultation, which Trafford Council say received concerns for the plans but also a lot of support on the proposals, the Friends of Turn Moss have launched a petition to try and 'save' the site by collating a list of people who regularly use Turn Moss and the meadows.

The consultation found that some people were happy with the development as long as the services were affordable, attractive and safe. Some people said the development would be a positive as they described Turn Moss as a 'bog' and said the present football provision is 'horrendous' on Turn Moss and clubs are moving away from Trafford.

However, there is big concern over the elderly in the area.

Local resident, Julia Child said: "There are large numbers of elderly people who will have their lives destroyed by this development. People walk on the Moss every day of the year with friends with family with dogs. This is a place for some people that provides peace and quiet a sanctuary in a very busy noisy world - This is not a community development for the benefit of local people quite the opposite people who currently use it will not go there anymore because it will no longer be somewhere they want to be."

Hellen Colley, who lives in the retirement apartments wrote open letter to Gary Neville about the proposals that will also benefit the new UA92 site.

She said it would have a major impact on her and her husbands physical and mental and health.

In the letter she said: "We are not sure if you realise that these two retirement residences are immediately adjacent to Turn Moss and the development you propose. They were originally built here so that elderly people could enjoy peace and quiet, and benefit from living next to a healthy green space. Many of our neighbours are vulnerable and frail, and this environment is very important to us."

Other residents complained over the lease to Salford City Football Club. The council say that along with a lease on the site, the club plan to become a partner of the community and will work alongside Trafford Leisure and pledge resources and expertise.

Nixon Todd from Friends of Turn Moss said: "The plan to deny us access to a large part of our much loved, much used fields on Turn Moss in order to fence it off and lease it to Salford City FC for at least ten years is an absolute scandal. There are so many reasons why this is an inappropriate development - greenbelt, floodplain, increased noise and traffic, light pollution, bats and badgers, open space - currently enjoyed by young and old alike."

A spokesman for the council said: “The Council engaged with residents about the proposals for Turn Moss during consultation on the Refreshed Stretford Masterplan before Christmas and is now consulting again through the planning application process on the detailed plans. Whilst there were concerns raised by some members of the community in the initial consultation there was also support for the proposals from the community.

"If approved, the scheme will significantly enhance the infrastructure at Turn Moss and provide local community benefit. These new facilities will be managed by the Council’s leisure company, Trafford Leisure CIC Ltd, which is a Community Interest Company specifically incorporated for community benefit.

"The new facilities will provide many enhanced benefits for the local community, the refurbished changing room for example will be able to accommodate young people and female changing facilities so that women’s football opportunities are more widely available in the north of Trafford, the 3G pitch will provide greater capacity for youth football teams, whilst the café will provide a family facility and a focal point for running groups, walking groups etc.

"Recreational improvements such as the trim trail and the children’s play area will help to make it a family environment enhancing its connectivity with the Mersey Valley, the Trans Pennine Way and Sale Water Park via the Bridgewater Canal. All of this whilst still maintaining the existing usage for local football teams and the Gaelic football teams that currently use the pitches.

"Salford City Football Club’s lease of the training facilities makes all this investment possible, but they are also keen to become a partner of the community and actively provide benefits to local residents. Working alongside Trafford Leisure they are pledging resources and expertise to run fitness programmes and provide access for the community to watch training sessions as well as creating a community engagement forum for local people to have a voice."

More details of this can be found in the Community Benefit Statements by visiting www.trafford.gov.uk and searching ‘Planning Applications’.

The petition can be found here: https://surveyhero.com/c/c6ad30c5