Council still silent on controversial Innes Centre sale

Date published: 07/04/2008

An update from earlier Rochdale Online reports about the proposed sale of the former Innes Centre:

Four weeks on, there has still not been any answer from Rochdale Council to a question asked by Christine Arrowsmith for the Public Forum of last month's Township Meeting. The question was emailed on Monday 10 March for the public meeting held on 12 March.

It has been suggested that the sale process for the former Innes Centre School next to Spotland Library has been furtive and rushed.

Christine Arrowsmith understood that several years ago the site was earmarked for a PCT "Lift" health centre. The provision of new LIFT centres for certain parts of Rochdale have been announced yet there has been silence regarding provision for Spotland, Caldershaw and Norden.

At last month's Spotland Area Forum a council officer suggested that the Innes Centre site and surrounding small playing field was to be "sold for housing". This is the first that anyone at the meeting had heard about such a move. There has been no public consultation about the future of the site. The area around the car park and footprint of the building had been designated as a Protected Recreational Open Space (Schools).

The site was offered for auction by the Impact Partnership of Rochdale Council without planning permission. The value of the site was also compromised because of the need to offer a promise by RMBC to return any cash deposit to the winning bidder if the Secretary of State refuses permission to dispose of the school's playing field.

Ms Arrowsmith's question about the Innes Centre, and the mystery of why it hasn't been answered, raises a series of issues regarding:

• The need for local government accountability and transparency.
• The disposal of council assets.
• The role of the Impact Partnership, various council departments and others in strategic planning issues and provision of public projects.

Four weeks on, Ms Arrowsmith awaits a satisfactory answer to her question.