{"id":358303,"date":"2025-08-20T02:25:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T02:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/358303\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T02:25:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T02:25:13","slug":"council-considers-u-turn-after-disgraceful-act-of-betrayal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/358303\/","title":{"rendered":"Council considers U-turn after ‘disgraceful act of betrayal’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The decision to sell off a heritage asset sparked uproar in the local community<\/p>\n

16:59, 19 Aug 2025Updated 17:00, 19 Aug 2025<\/p>\n

Park Bridge heritage centre<\/p>\n

The council has agreed to look into options to save a heritage site following an outcry over their decision to sell it off.<\/p>\n

Park Bridge Heritage Centre building was deemed surplus to requirements last year by Tameside<\/a> council \u2013 who recently made a decision to cash in on the asset. The former stables building within the site has been closed since 2010, alongside its caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

This decision from town hall bosses sparked uproar with the Park Bridge Residents\u2019 Action Group and Fund \u2013 who labelled it \u2018a disgraceful act of betrayal\u2019.<\/p>\n

The action group say the heritage centre can provide much-needed local jobs, cultural enrichment, access to services and a boost to the local economy. Their local MP, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, also weighed in on the situation \u2013 sharing concerns over the decision.<\/p>\n

To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week the group met up with councillors to discuss the future of the site. Waterloo ward members met with the action group to speak on a \u2018positive shared vision\u2019 for the site, according to councillors.<\/p>\n

Tameside council\u2019s executive member for finance and resources, Coun Hugh Roderick, who attended the meeting, said: \u201cWe welcome the residents group coming forward and we will work with them to develop their plans as we explore all options to safeguard the heritage of the site.<\/p>\n

\"CouncillorsCouncillors from Tameside meeting the Park Bridge Residents Action Group and Fund in Park Bridge(Image: Tameside council)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe value the location\u2019s heritage and, while we\u2019re proposing to market the Park Bridge Centre to understand potential market interest, our preferred route would be a community led approach that is financially viable and makes the most of the location.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe centre has been closed as a visitor centre since around 2010, with use since then on an ad hoc basis for dedicated school workshops until early 2020. Over the past five years the property has remained vacant and, due to current financial pressures, there is no budget available to occupy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe available maintenance budget is also greatly reduced, putting the building at risk should a large repair cost be required. While our property disposal programme is in place to identify opportunities for development and income for the borough, it is also a means to ensure that we can find sustainable ways to safeguard our heritage sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross our properties, we are keen to work with groups like Park Bridge Residents Group to ensure we are supporting our communities and protecting our heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current Park Bridge Heritage Centre building(Image: Grandpa Greenes\/Creative Architecture Ltd)<\/p>\n

The residents group believes that, with the right investment and vision, Park Bridge could once again be the beating heart of the valley. They want to see the ecology around the site boosted and look into funding opportunities from bodies such as Heritage Lottery Fund, National Trust, Arts Council, and DEFRA.<\/p>\n

They believe the site can generate cash through an eco-friendly on-site caf\u00e9, craft markets, and guided heritage tours.<\/p>\n

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A spokesperson for Park Bridge Residents\u2019 Action Group and Fund said: \u201cWe are grateful to have met last week with Tameside Council executives, ward councillors, and a representative from Angela Rayner MP\u2019s office to discuss the future of the Park Bridge Heritage Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meeting marked a positive first step towards safeguarding and securing the future of this priceless site for generations to come.<\/p>\n

\u201c2026 will mark 240 years since the Park Bridge Iron Works first opened, a remarkable milestone in our local and national story.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy working together, and with the support of external funding and grants, we hope to celebrate that anniversary with the Heritage Centre reopened as a vibrant space for community use.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur vision is for the Heritage Centre to act as a catalyst \u2013 championing the community, heritage, and environment. With the Centre at its heart, we believe Park Bridge can once again be a place of pride, engagement, and education.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo keep this important project on track, we have proposed the creation of a joint working group between the Park Bridge Residents\u2019 Action Group & Fund and the council, ensuring strong collaboration and shared progress at every stage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The decision to sell off a heritage asset sparked uproar in the local community 16:59, 19 Aug 2025Updated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,1286,285,1026,16499,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-358303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-oldham","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-tameside","15":"tag-tameside-council","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115058725788726814","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}