Planning Application for a Golf Driving Range has been withdrawn!
Former Bamford Conservative Councillor, Ian Duckworth, says: “I have no doubt, now that the plans for a golf driving range on Springfield Park have been withdrawn, lots of politicians will be jumping on the bandwagon to associate themselves with this supposed victory. I would like to put on record where the real credit belongs: to the Friends of Springfield Park and people from far and wide, who have out-thought and out-fought the Lib.Dems’ attempts to impose this uncalled for scheme on the people of Rochdale borough.
I say Lib.Dem plan, not for political point-scoring but rather in the interests of accuracy. Throughout this whole sorry episode we have had a Lib.Dem Councillor for Bamford and one from Norden constantly making scapegoats out of Link4Life and I find it hypocritical and shameful that it was these very same Councillors who in 2007 made the decision to go ahead with the golf driving range in the first place, and even boasted about it in a press release "as a serious political decision"; and now they want to be associated with other people's hard work, put the blame elsewhere, and be perceived as some kind of saviours, knowing that normal people have better things to do than trawl through old cabinet papers to discover where the real responsibility lies.
It is a cliché but a truism nonetheless that we have won a battle, not the war! Amended plans for the golf driving range can be submitted at any time but if the Lib.Dems want it stopped, all they have to do is say that the park (which comes under the Lib.Dem Council's jurisdiction, not Link4Life's) is not available for lease or rent, and that will be the end of it.
Well done everyone, I just hope that we won't have to be put through this strenuous and time-consuming process once again. Let's have this unpopular plan to take away an irreplaceable green space scrapped, once and for all”.
Councillor JANE GARTSIDE adds: “Bamford Conservatives have been against this proposed golf driving range since it was first put forward. If Link4Like re-apply then they are totally insensitive to the feelings of the people of this town who do not want their park spoiled in this way. I think the Lib.Dem Council and Link4Like have to hold their hands up and say “We got it wrong”!”
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