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QUESTIONS FOR SALFORD CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES – ON BUILE HILL MANSION
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Star date: 15th April 2021 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR COUNCIL CANDIDATES: NO 1 BUILE HILL MANSION As the local elections on 6th May draw nearer, the Salford Star is not going to grill candidates. There are so many candidates for the sixty seats up for grabs that we wouldn't be able to do them all justice. So, this year we're asking the electorate to Do It Yourselves and we have compiled a handy series of questions to ask candidates to help voters on their way. We begin with some questions about the ever derelict Buile Hill Mansion... Full details here...
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QUESTIONS TO ASK COUNCIL CANDIDATES ON BUILE HILL MANSION... Back in 2008, the Salford Star ran an article in print issue 8 about community opposition to the sell-off of the Grade II listed Buile Hill Mansion to the then Salford Reds owner John Wilkinson, as he wanted to turn it into a private hotel. The plans were subsequently dropped, and the Mansion remains empty and derelict, as it has been since 2000 when the Mining Museum was closed in the cuts. It's now been 21 years and, despite public meetings, well meaning Council statements (plus £1million put to one side), and even Tim Heatley, a developer form Capital and Centric, on board, still nothing has been done. While a zillion cycle lanes, media city glass palaces and posh apartments have been created in the aspirational areas of Salford, the Mansion and its grounds stand out like a sore thumb – a monument to the lack of imagination inherent in a Salford City Council and its politicians who only understand corporate rather than community... So, questions to ask council candidates and Mayor candidates about Buile Hill Mansion... How can any self respecting city leave one of its most iconic buildings derelict for twenty one years? Despite a zillion consultations about any future use, nothing has been decided, so what would you like to see happen to the building, how would you cost it and how long would it take? If you are elected as the main party or Mayor in Salford, can you guarantee that something will happen with the building, to the community's satisfaction, within the next 12 months? If you cannot sort out the Mansion and its out grounds within the next 12 months will you resign as an utter and complete failure? Like all who have gone before you for 21 years...
The Salford Star will be publishing more questions to ask candidates as the 6th May election draws near.
See Questions For Candidates...
No 2: On the AJ Bell Stadium – click here
No 3: On Green Belt Destruction - click here No 4: On the Crescent Police Station - click here
For a full background on the Council Election – click here The Salford City Mayor Election – click here And the Greater Manchester Mayor Election – click here
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bob wrote
at 13:30:23 on 20 April 2021 |
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| Can Julie or indeed anyone,tell me what this bit of a "messing round the edges" proposal as the editor puts it actually is. Even if its just stabilising the building, cleaning gutters out ,letting ventilation in , cutting out the rotten bits, that might not sound a lot, but it will stop matters getting any worse. |
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Life is loud wrote
at 12:36:34 on 20 April 2021 |
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| Hope the money is not coming out of our council tax what do we need the mansion for it is an eyesore |
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Julie smith wrote
at 12:29:09 on 18 April 2021 |
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| Mary Ferrer spouting rubbish as usual! You know full well the Mayor didn't support the proposal. I fail to understand why you aspire to be on the council when all you do is slag them off! Let's face it if you were elected , the council wouldn't change overnight and you would be part of the institution you seem to distrust. Also how do you think you would be received as a colleague by all those people you have constantly insulted?
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Salford Star wrote
at 11:53:38 on 18 April 2021 |
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| See Bob's comment below...you missed nothing. Going to mess around the edges securing the building but no future as yet. Our questions above still apply! |
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bob wrote
at 09:32:09 on 18 April 2021 |
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| You know how nosey I am. Can someone please tell me what Dennett has announced regarding the Buille Hill Mansion site? No doubt it will be a big cock up and waste of money, there again, I would say that wouldn't I. To be fair to the lad, lets see what's on the table, then we can make an honest appraisal. |
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bob wrote
at 09:32:07 on 18 April 2021 |
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| You know how nosey I am. Can someone please tell me what Dennett has announced regarding the Buille Hill Mansion site? No doubt it will be a big cock up and waste of money, there again, I would say that wouldn't I. To be fair to the lad, lets see what's on the table, then we can make an honest appraisal. |
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Rayofsunshine wrote
at 22:12:55 on 17 April 2021 |
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| Mary Ferrer is just bitter that Mayor Dennett shot
her pòĺiticaĺ fox! Without the issue of Buile Hill,
Mary is just another faileď councillor. Perhaps she
could dò Tim the Deveĺòper's PR? Mary needs to fìll
her days with meaningful activities.
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Hedley Hopper, Salford Star’s Own, Geriatric Curmudgeonly Political Commentator, Fashionista, Entertainment Correspondent, Drummer and now ….Weather Forecaster wrote
at 23:22:05 on 16 April 2021 |
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| Well, Hello, again, Darlinks!
This afternoon I had a couple of jobs to do - to go to the Salford Emporium to visit its Mobility Scooter Centre for a new accessory and to attend an appointment at the Mary Ferrer Memorial Clinic for Surgical Stocking Fittings at the Lance Burn Health Centre on Boris Johnson Way (formerly known as Churchill Way). I revved up my trusty turbo-powered mobility scooter and left the Salford Maximum Security Twilight Home for Bewildered Geriatrics (rated as “Outstanding” by the CQC), giving a cheery “two fingers” salute to Matron Myra as she wasn’t wearing her bottle-bottom specs.
As it was such a beautiful day, I thought I would take a detour through the grounds of my family’s former ancestral home, Buile Hill Park, albeit one having been born of the cadet and distaff branch.
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As you may know, my antecedents emigrated from that backward introspective county of Yorkshire to the enlightened one of Lancashire and a few year later, having accumulated loadsa money, in 1825 a descendent, Thomas Hopper Potter commissioned Sir Charles Barry to build him a mansion at Buile Hill. This is the only known house where Barry used Greek revival architecture and was completed in 1827. In one’s humble opinion and echoed by others, it is neither “revival” or “greek”: if it was, one would expect it to resemble St Peters, the Parthenon or the White House, with a rather grand portico and BIG columns. I expect Barry was having an “off day” and should have stuck to Gothic!
Thomas Hopper Potter was elected first Mayor of Manchester in 1838 and was re-elected in 1839. He was knighted on 1 July 1840. For this reason, I wish HRH The Mayor of Salford would petition The Greater Manchester Mayor, HIH Andy “Eyebrows” Burnham to rename the County to “Salfordshire” or “Greater Salford”.
But I digress (as is my wont and privilege at my age!).. the sun was shining, the birds were singing in the trees, newly enveloped in their greenery, and flitting from branch to branch; the explosion of daffodils that inspired Wordsworth were wafting in the gentle zephyr (he was actually inspired by Buile Hill Park and NOT the Pond District); the tulips were bowing their heads so rhythmically that I burst into a chorus of “Tip Toe Through The Tulips! All this and the heady scent of the hyacinths were having an effect on me, making me wax lyrically and composing an haiku in paeon format (a metrical foot of one long syllable and three short syllables in any order) on its beauties.
My reverie was disturbed by a brass band marching up the Park’s principal road towards the Mansion, and there were banners being carried. (It reminded me of the opening scenes of “East is East”, the film not the restaurant chain “Eastzeast”) “Save Buile Hill Park and Mansion” the banners proclaimed.
Behind the band and banners, who did I espy? It was the Salford Independent Greys (the SIGs) lead by Mary Ferrer. resplendent in her haut couture Givency surgical stockings with immaculately vertical seams. She had rounded up her fellow Independent candidates. Accompanying her were Joe O’Neill and Chris Barnes; the latter must have bribed the band as they burst into the chorus of “Time to Vote for Barnesy, local, vocal, gobby and grey”.
There was a slightly awkward moment when Barry Fallows appeared. The procession halted.
“Hi Mary, wotchya doing here? This is my patch now following boundary changes.”
Barnesy piped up, as is his wont, due to his inability to remain silent even when gagged and having his jaws sellotaped.
“The Mansion used to be in Langworthy – my old patch – and till gerrymandering raised its ugly head. The Banqueting Suite used to be in yours! Looks like the HRH The Mayor has forgotten the basic tenet of politics: divide and rule! He has united us!”
“Indeed,” said the aforementioned Mr Fallows, “Come, Mary, let us march together and UNITE by linking arms! Barnesy and Joe, grab the banners and hoist ‘em high!”
“Isn’t UNITE the union that sponsors HRH The Mayor?” asked Mary quizzically and coquettishly with a knowing look in her eye.
Mary and Barry linked arms. The procession moved on with Jonathan, the Greys very own “Monty Don” and Under 65s Cheer Leader, raising his baton high and expertly twirling it. I was intrigued by what was happening, so I put my trusty scooter into perambulation speed and tagged along.
I was so pleased that I had actuated my Dash Cam for the procession had not progressed more than 10 feet when the front halted and the rear collided into it and concertinaed. HRH The Mayor was being confronted about the timing of his announcement over the Mansion by a disgruntled voter and made other comments that since have been reported elsewhere in the Media.
Joe O’Neill’s face turned a rather delicate shade of puce; Mary’s face was like thunder and Barnesy and Barry were “goldfishing”, at a loss of something to say. I extricated myself from the scrunched up procession and approached “La Ferrer”, and offered some words of comfort to her.
“He might have stolen the SIGs’ thunder but it must be comforting to know that others feel like you all do about the Mansion and Park and the incredibly convenient coincidental timing of this announcement.”
Not realising it was I, she replied, “Yes indeed. If this is all that HRH The Mayor can offer Salford then it is time for change! As for a Salford Heritage Fund, there isn’t any left – Labour’s demolished it all!” Seemingly having to have cheered her up, I tipped my hat to the SIGs and the Mayor and went on my merry way to the Salford Emporium.
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Mary Ferrer wrote
at 18:09:34 on 16 April 2021 |
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| Our Mayor has made a announcement today regards the Mansion, the council have found funding to do some major repairs to the Mansion. Where he has found this money from I haven't a clue He could have sold the bin wagons he spent the mansion money on last year, could have done the work then, but it was a bit far off from the Elections in May. Now Salford folk please don't forget our Mayor is the man who was willing to allow 40/50 houses to be build in the heart of Buile Hill Park. Remember that when when you put your X. Don't become a mushroom |
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Kindle McFee wrote
at 20:57:38 on 15 April 2021 |
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Stuart Cremins wrote
at 17:42:21 on 15 April 2021 |
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| I have stated once before that i would like to restore the building to its former glory. I used to love trips there as kid. If not mining as it was, maybe another showcase of history of this great city. |
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bob wrote
at 15:58:56 on 15 April 2021 |
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| Look, if you don't know how to do something, the best thing you can do is ask someone you know, someone who you trust and respect, who does know whats what ,if they can help you do what you want to do. Let me explain. Our University people are pretty genned up regarding building and construction things. It used to be their best subject, and they were in the top 5 unis in this field a few years back. Our uni is also at the top table when it comes to property development and speculation, and Merry and Dennett are right up the arses of the top brass there. Can a deal not be done whereby the council give the uni this building, along with the old parks depot that adjoins it? Such a deal would allow the uni property speculation dept to build say 8 ultra de lux eco state of the art mansions for media city multi millionaires.The profit could be used to fix up that building which I am sure the uni could use for something. The understanding would be of course that all the work would be done by local contractors. lets face it, Dennett and Merry have not got a clue when it comes to construction things. like me , if I had a desk full of paperwork bullshit like these 2 have, i would not know how to deal with it. look at the builder Tim that dennett sent for to help him. Tim said on the telly he didn't know how to knock a nail in. Why doesn't Dennett call in a proper local builder to help him? The golf club bricky would be ideal.He knows whats what. No doubt we will hear a lot on this from one of the local candidates about this article. I am sure that this candidate, with only a slight amount of cash,could work wonders with local contractors known to them. There are plenty of lads round there that have worked on refurbs. Me, I would just like to see it fester for the next forty years, as a standing tribute to the incompetence of Salford council. |
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wrote
at 15:24:01 on 15 April 2021 |
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| Just knock it down. 21 years empty now and it's a eyesore. |
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Janice Dyson wrote
at 14:09:44 on 15 April 2021 |
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| We the people of Salford deserve our mansion to Be sorted out also the greenhouses and another play area for the children at derby road area thankyou |
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