Residents in Salford are urging the city council to re-think the potential demolition of a 90-year-old greenhouse in Buile Hill Park.
The demolition plans were released after Salford Council committed to renovating Buile Hill Mansion. The council intends to create more community spaces, such as a function room, and add disability access to the mansion.
However, the Buile Hill Greenhouse Association is campaigning for the greenhouse to be refurbished and restored to its former glory.
Doug Provost is the Chair for Buile Hill Greenhouse Association. He said: “We see it as an enhancement to the mansion renovation programme because in a couple of years, the mansion will be open again and if they demolish the greenhouse there would just be grass there.
“There’s nothing like it and to watch it be demolished, it’s a shame.
“Having a renovated greenhouse will be an enhancement to the park, for the local people and the city of Salford.”
Doug feels renovating the greenhouse would be an asset to the local community: “It’s not about nostalgia it’d be about a viable, sustainable use for the future and a benefit to the park visitors and the local community.”
John Blackburn is a member of the Buile Hill Greenhouse Association says the greenhouse and the mansion being renovated together would be a positive for the park: “There’s a lot going on with the mansion now, which is great, we feel that we could be an added bonus.”
Salford City Council have agreed that the Buile Hill Greenhouse Association can formally present the case for the restoration of the greenhouse to the council.
If successful the group will be given more time by the council to ‘develop and deliver the project’ as stated on the Salford City Council website.
A spokesperson for Salford City Council said: “We are fully committed to the plans to bring Buile Hill Mansion back into community use.
In the case of the greenhouse, the view taken was that it was beyond realistic repair and as such demolition was the proposed course of action with part of the greenhouse area now being required to enable the mansion/depot plans to be delivered.”
Salford City Council also said discussions with Buile Hill Greenhouse Association are continuing and if a “credible proposal” can be agreed the council will try and take it forward.
The group also set up a ‘GoFundMe’ page with a budget of £2,000 to commission a survey and undertake other work to be able to put their cause to the council.
Buile Hill Park could be seen as a local treasure of Salford, with 87 acres of historical land, rumoured to have helped inspire author, Frances Hodgson Burnett to write the classic novel ‘The Secret Garden’ on one of her visits to the mansion.
As Chair, Doug Provost set up the ‘GoFundMe’ as well as a Facebook page called “Buile Hill Greenhouse Association” to raise awareness in the local area.
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