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NOWHERE to play: Matthew Ranking and his friends, who live on Mottram Rise, have been told not to play on a grassed area near their homes
NOWHERE to play: Matthew Ranking and his friends, who live on Mottram Rise, have been told not to play on a grassed area near their homes

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Red card shown to football kids

Tom Rowley
3/ 9/2008

PLAYTIME is no longer fun time for one group of youngsters.

Not after a fence was put up around the car park where they used to play ball games.

Their ‘pitch’ was between Stalyhill infant and junior schools. But since the children decamped to a small grassed area nearby, residents have complained they’re causing a nuisance.

Ken Rankin, whose 13-year-old son Matthew is one of the youngsters affected, says the real problem is the lack of safe playing space in Stalybridge.

Ken, of Oakcroft, said: "The nearest space is Hattersley Rec five or six miles away, but why should young kids be expected to have to go that far away? There’s nowhere around here — the top end of Stalybridge — for them to play. Now they only have a tiny piece of grass which is only 30ft by 30ft to play on, but it’s by the side of six or seven houses and residents have got annoyed. The kids have got nowhere to go and I believe it’s going to cost £18,000 to fence the car park off as well."

A Tameside Council spokeswoman said: "A planning application to erect a fence around the car park has been lodged with Tameside Council. It came about following discussions between the local community, councillors and Greater Manchester Police. Concern had been expressed that local youths were using the car park as a meeting ground, driving around it and generally causing a nuisance of themselves to local residents."


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Most recent 1 of 1 user comments

   i agree, there's nowhere for decent kids to play safely and without causing nuisance on Mottram Rise and I have every sympathy. If this were Droylsden or Denton provision would have been made for them. The problem is the Council provides NOTHING for kids in this area because it's seen as a "well off" area where parents can pay for out of school activities. Stalyhill Juniors has a lovely great big school field, used about once a year, but they aren't allowed to use that either. Residents have asked for the car park fencing because they are sick of youngsters from miles away gathering on mopeds, souped up Corsas, music blaring at midnight, drinking, setting fire to the woods and generally making a nuisance of themselves for the past 20 years. As usual the minority spoil it for the majority and these kids playing footie will suffer because of mindless idiots who are old enough to know better. The car park is privately owned by the Council and is not designed as a playground neither is the grassed area on Barleywood Walk, some 5 yards outside people's front window. Can't parents understand resident's frustraion when they play right outside people's front window til turned 9pm in the summer? Let them play outside their own house and see how long it is before their neighbours complain.
Paul surname,
3/09/2008 at 23:27
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