This is a personal opinion and does not reflect the views
of Hulme Green Party or Manchester Green Party.
It seems that these are the last days of Hulme’s Birley
Fields. Though full planning permission for the proposed campus is yet to be
granted to Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) the organisation has fenced
off the fields and begun digging up some of the plant-life.
The reality of MMU’s actions has stirred an angry
reaction in the Hulme community with talk of occupying the green space in
protest.
As part of the ‘Save Birley Fields’ campaign, we argued
that the fields, which have grown naturally from derelict land over the past 30
years, are teeming with biodiversity and
as the most intense area of green space in Hulme, was of great benefit to the
community.
MMU have argued that it was just a ‘brownfield site’. For myself I only see trees, bushes and wild flowers.
There are arguments backwards and forwards on the
benefits the new campus will bring to the neighbourhood but MMU is already
primarily based in Hulme which as a consequence already has oneof the highest student densities (p17) in the city. Along the quarter of a
mile from Oxford Road to the landmark Hulme Bridge, the buildings are almost
exclusively MMU related or student accommodation. The new campus would extend
this.
My main issue is
not with the main academic building as promoted nicely on the MMU website.
It’s that of the 7 buildings in the proposal, 5 of them are 10 storey student accommodation
blocks that will take up the majority of the green space.
The protests against the original planning permission got
surprising little coverage in the local press despite
- It being a major local election issue for
Hulme
- Local campaigners attempting to engage the
MMU to negotiate on the size of the campus and to deal with the clear
additional problems the new campus would bring to the area
- A reportfrom MMU’s own researchers criticizing the quality of consultation with the
local community.
During this period ironically MMU was awarded a contract
from the government to train ‘community champions’.
In its behaviour MMU are little different to Barclays
Bank
Ultimately they say the case for the campus as proposed,
is an economic argument.
For Hulme, I can’t see it. MMU seems to have enough of
Hulme already and this is a lot to lose for very little gain.
So it seems likely that the new Eco-campus will be built
on the Birley Fields grasslands when the majority of that space can be saved.
The MMU, as its doing already, will use it as a marketing ploy to attract new
students.
But an Eco-campus built on wild urban meadow and that
damages a community is a lie.
So I have a marketing message of my own.
Congratulations to the students who have passed their
2012 A-Levels, it’s a difficult step to get over.
So now you are looking at University places.
MMU has some good facilities and some great people work
there. BUT if within your selection criteria are a University’s environmental
credentials, I can’t recommend MMU.
Go somewhere more honest and more prepared to work with
the community its based in.
Deyika Nzeribe.
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