'This is our land’: The fight to keep the 'last green space' on the Langley estate

Date published: 25 August 2023

A plan to build 30 new homes in the middle of a recreational space has caused an outcry in Middleton.

According to the developer – Big Help Langley Development CIC – the land off Borrowdale Road, Langley, has become a hotspot for antisocial behaviour, drinking and drug taking – but that has been refuted by locals.
 

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What is known locally as the Ponderosa – an open space/recreation area – is the heart of the community and the people on the estate have a message for the developers: ‘this is our land and you cannot have it’.

Pensioner Eileen said: “They [the developer] have said about all this antisocial behaviour, this is absolutely not true. I’ve lived here next to the Ponderosa since my son was four, he is now 54.

“I have never, ever, seen anyone drinking, taking drugs or lighting fires. It just does not happen.”

 

 

The community actually believes the plan to remould the greenspace as part of the development could bring in antisocial behaviour and drug taking. They believe added street lighting and benches could bring in unwanted behaviour and impact on the local wildlife.

Katie Armstrong, a passionate advocate for the Ponderosa, said: “It is not an antisocial area. It is just so loved and well-used.

“This palace centres our community. It is imperative to keep the connections of the estate going that people will lose if they can’t have a place to socialise.

“All our families have known each other for 60-plus years. We all use this space as there is nowhere else like it in the area.

“It is a green lung. You can access fresh air and the children are safe to play here.

“We’re not worried about the kids playing on here. Where will they play if they build this, on the road? That is a worry for the parents.

“It is a safeguarding issue. It’s kids being kids not having the internet constantly, they can play in a safe environment here.”

 

 

The green space is a key asset for community events, one of which saw a fundraiser generate thousands of pounds in aid of a little girl with cancer. Sierra is known as the ‘Middleton Mermaid’ and caught the attention of the community.
 

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Locals say they had hundreds in attendance for the fun day which included live music acts as well as a wealth of activities. For those in the area, this space is not a den of iniquity, but a beacon of light.

What the locals say this area is used for is in stark contrast to what developers have stated, the plans say: “The quality of the space is poor and it is under-utilised. It is a piece of land that is accessible to the public.

“The land is home to bats, birds, foxes and used by local dog walkers but it is also very dark at night and is a magnet for antisocial behaviour, drinking and drug use and a place for young people to congregate at night.”

 

 

Walking down the paths, not only can you see nature, but you can see children playing in the trees and the sandpit put together by the estate’s own Darren Hill.

Darren grew up on one side of the Ponderosa and now lives on the other side of it. He said he even saw some roe deer dashing across the grass.

 

 

“Lights would ruin it, I am concerned for the wildlife that development would destroy,” Darren said. “It has not been touched for decades, and they want to get rid of it.

“Local amenities such as GPs, dentists and schools are all oversubscribed, where would the new homeowners go?

“The traffic on school days down Borrowdale Road is horrendous, this would just add to problems.”

 

 

Darren went on to say how this small section of grass provided a lifeline during the pandemic for his own mental health and for all the elderly in the community who used it. “They don’t want to walk miles down the road to the next bit of green space,” he stated.

 

 

He is concerned what the development could mean for the elderly who would no longer have the same green space on their doorstep. The new development would see houses built backing onto the flats where the majority of the elderly in the area live.

Locals believe ‘this is the last holdout’ as there has been a huge amount of development in the area. When the Local Democracy Reporting Service met the community, the message was clear – ‘we do not want this on our Ponderosa’.

Children can be seen donning ‘Save the Ponderosa’ t-shirts as they weave through the trees that could be cut down to make way for houses – if the application is approved by Rochdale Council. The locals say they have seen social housing in the area knocked down in previous years and the land sold off.

Now these new homes, which would all be affordable housing, are just in the wrong place, the campaigners have said.

 

 

Although the community recognises the need for social housing in the area, they think that Langley has been overdeveloped and cannot sustain any more.

Darren Pearson, born and raised in Langley, added: “It was supposed to be family houses and the majority are going to be one-beds. It was supposed to be local houses for local people.

“There has never been anything like this. This is the only wildlife spot in the area.

“The road that comes through Langley, all the way down from here to the school, everything between Windermere Road and Bowlee Fields has been destroyed and built on.

“The land has been sold off to private developers. We have definitely lost a lot of land.”

‘Commoners Save the Ponderosa Langley’ is the name of their local group on Facebook, and they plan to fight until the end to save their community asset.

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter