'Chorlton is turning into London' - Tense 'standoff' over controversial housing plan in south Manchester

As the digger rolled through the gates, a chant went up among the crowd. “Shame on you, MMU,” more than 30 Chorlton residents yelled in unison.

They then fell silent and could only watch “in horror” as the machinery whirred through the dense tangle of brambles and vegetation beyond a mesh fence - over land they’ve been trying to protect for more than 25 years.

The group gathered outside the Ryebank Fields this morning (June 28) to protest a controversial development plan for the ‘beloved’ and ‘naturally rewilded’ green space on the border of South Manchester.

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Though the land is owned by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), locals have long laid claim to the space as it was left to grow wild since the 1990s.

On Friday morning MMU contractors arrived on the site with fencing, diggers and a police presence. They wanted to move forward with plans to build 120 homes with the help of developers Step Places and Southway Housing.

A spokesperson for MMU noted the works were “for surveying purposes only and are not related to construction”, as no planning application has been submitted to Manchester City Council yet.

A spokesperson for the Save Ryebank Fields campaign said: "We are not only acting to protect the wildlife that live here but also public health. This land is next to residential homes, a primary school and a public park."

Jo, a local involved with Friends of RyeBank Fields, was nearly in tears as she told the LDRS: “I feel really emotional. Some of us have spent decades wandering around there and it’s sad that once again corporate interests seem to trample all over wildlife and people who just want to enjoy and protect a beautiful, natural space.”

“Money seems to dictate everything and I think many of us feel like as normal people we have no voice.”

Campaigners called for the council to reject any application that comes through and for MMU to ‘do the right thing’ and 'leave the land alone'.

The plans for the site include the retention of 1.3 hectares of the parkland, as well as a 250 sq. m central community hub surrounded by a market square and growing spaces, a nature path walkway, new habitats, a 1:7 planting policy across the whole site and 2.1 hectares of green space across the development to support local biodiversity.

On person told the LDRS: “We’re not obstructing - we’re not allowed to - but we are just letting them know that we are watching their every move.”

Residents claimed wildlife was just one of many concerns.

“I’m just not happy with the events of today because it looks like they’re going to do what they want to do regardless of how people feel,” Marva O’Neill, 68, told the LDRS. She and her husband John have lived nearby for more than 40 years and are worried about the impact a big housing development on their doorstep will have on local infrastructure.

“Chorlton is turning into London,” John said. “Soon we won’t be able to move for all the congestion. The schools are oversubscribed, the doctors. We haven’t got the infrastructure.”

The works went ahead and investigations- such as ground drilling and sampling are due to take place over the next five to six weeks- according to MMU.

A spokesman said: “The further investigatory studies are required to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of the ground is available to the project team to inform the next steps for the project.

“The works are being conducted by professional contractors in compliance with all relevant regulations.

“The University’s position is that the site should not be accessed by the general public at any time, and this remains in place during the completion of these works.”

“My heart and soul really aches," Simone, a local retiree who has found a sense of home and 'creative inspiration' in the 'wild mess' of Ryebank Fields, said. "But we will keep going. We are a really strong community and we will never give up.”