It’s completely arrogant for Oldham council to celebrate what is by any measure the destruction of a huge plot of undeveloped Chadderton green land, a million square feet in total, with both the major road in the background of their video and houses on show built on previously undeveloped green land creating a huge increase in pollution and a loss of much needed green habitats. Highlighting the start of planting for a linear park at Broadway green Chadderton Cllr Chris Goodwin states “Phase one of the park will focus on work such as creating footpaths, planting new trees, shrubs and creating wildflower meadows – making the site greener and a pleasant place to spend time” The entire site was undeveloped green land so any claims by Cllr Goodwin that they have made the site greener are completely untrue and the site already had a completely natural wildflower meadow which the council and partners dug up and concreted. After 12 years Labour Oldham Council and partners have delivered not a single one of the high end jobs promised even after reducing the projected numbers of jobs from over four thousand to less than two thousand but they have managed to increase house numbers on the site by a third. Even the supermarket on the site which Labour Oldham now celebrate had to commission a detailed economic survey to facilitate planning permission after initially being refused which showed the land will never be used for the commercial industries for which planning permission for the scheme was granted and the four thousand plus jobs originally predicted will never materialise. This site was only granted planning permission as a predominantly high-end commercial scheme because of the number of jobs Labour Oldham claimed it would deliver. Chronic-Oldham and others called them out on their false claims from day one highlighting the empty industrial units in the area and the real reason for the development which was a change of use green land grab for housing and we have been proven correct. Labour Oldham are spending millions increasing the green infrastructure in the town centre wards the areas with some of the highest levels of worklessness, overcrowding and benefit dependency in all Greater Manchester and which can only provide enough jobs for 60 out of every 100 working aged adults in the area. In comparison Chadderton already has enough jobs for 82 out of every 100 working aged Chadderton adults so the question should be asked why does sustainable Chadderton lose green land for houses and commercial buildings yet Oldham and the unsustainable town centre wards have their provision of green resources hugely expanded?
