Swinton residents have welcomed an appeal by a tribunal to overturn the community value status of a local park, despite fury from housing developers.
Swinton Park Golf and Country Club has retained its status as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), after Wain Estates Limited attempted to overthrown the council’s decision to protect the land.
A first-tier tribunal maintained the land’s recreational purpose, a decision backed by Swinton residents.
The golf course and club house were closed in 2020 with various developers, including Wain Estates Limited expressing interest for housing.
City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “The city council’s position on the land remains unchanged in that we wish to see the site remain as a venue for golf and recreational purposes for the people of Swinton and Salford. This position is reaffirmed within our Local Plan document, which has been consulted upon with residents and other stakeholders across the city.
“I have made representations to developers in advance of any potential purchase outlining our position. I hope that the decision taken by the court will secure this vital piece of land as recreational.
The council took the decision to designate the golf course as an ACV in November 2019 which determined that the golf club is land of community value and should be added to the council’s list of assets of community value.
He added: “The ‘Asset of Community Value’ (ACV) was put in place for the golf course given the clear public interest in the future of the site and the strategic importance of the site as articulated in the city council’s Local Plan. We always believed that Wain Estates’ objection to the ACV classification was spurious and we are very pleased this has been confirmed by the court.
“It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to commit public money to defending the city council’s position in the court, especially given the public support for retaining the land for the purposes of recreation.
“I hope that Wain Homes will now reconsider their development aspirations for the site on the back of this decision.”
Community groups such as ‘Save Swinton Park Golf Club’ have been instrumental in the decision to make the space an ACV.
Speaking on behalf of the ward councillors for Swinton, Councillor Jim Cammell, added: “We know that our residents want the Swinton Park Golf Club site to remain as recreational land and I would like to thank “Save Swinton Park Golf Club” for their hard work and dedication to this campaign, and the officers at Salford City Council for the extra work they have had to do to defend the decision to register the site as an Asset of Community Value.
“The land remains at the heart of our ambitions to retain recreational land in Swinton and the decision of the court is welcomed.”
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