Comments on: About Us

By: Enid Holtom

Enid Holtom — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:45:06 +0000

I have now found the Lever Park Act with the help of a friendly librarian. I found the piece that you repeatedly use to brow beat dissenters. It actually says for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of county borough of Bolton and generally of the public for ever. Interestingly it goes on to state – to erect any building or buildings theron necessary or convenient for use and enjoyment of the park. I say interesting as if it were not for the modern concept of planning applications your park could be a wholly different place. Chorley Borough Council could, in the past, been single handedly responsible for saving you from some monstrosities. Oh what irony! However it would appear to me that Go Ape may probably fall into the latter ie building for enjoyment of the park.
I would like to tell you about some personal family history. My great grandmother was born in Farnworth in 1835. She had a few children and in 1870 had twin girls. She died shortly after. The twins died within the next two years. The remaining children were split between maternal and paternal grandparents. My grandmother went with her father to her parental grandparents. When she reached 13 years she went into service, to people she did not know. Her father died in 1887 in Fishpool workhouse, Bolton. These are the people that William Lever decided to bequeath fresh open space to. People in those depressing Bolton streets that he was born into and knew. People who needed whatever could be gained from the smallest free time, free of work and worry. Your idea of the ordinary people of Bolton running round the park in vests and big knickers exercising is pure romance. It had no basis in reality. You suppose that you know what William Lever’s intention was, you have shown that you have no idea. You have interpreted the Act for pure selfish, middle class, sherry drinking, back slapping gain.
WAKE up Friends of Lever Park – you yourselves have no grasp of the issues do you?

By: bob dootson

bob dootson — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:57:36 +0000

Thanks lochlan.

Lever Park is protected by the 1902 Liverpool Corporation Act, but the power lords with their financial clout ignored it.
Everyone who supports the FLP will never understand how the planning authorities allowed the application to be dealt with under delegated powers, when one considers that the Park is a registered park of special Historic interest and is referred to in the Councils own policies and refers to it’s protection under HT13.

By: lochlan

lochlan — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:18:32 +0000

Hi. Look I stumbled across this page and read it with interest. The way I see it historically all over the country pieces of land were given o’er to the people as public parks for free enjoyment. I dont live near Lever park but I do live near to a similar area. There is likely no chance I will visit Lever Park. If people dont look after their rights regards land they will lose it one way or another. The once public park I mention sprouted a golf course and hut. As I have grown up so has the land taken over by the course increased. People come a long way to pay to play on the course which I played on as a child. I recently went there with my own young children only to be told to stay on the paths only as I was tresspassing on the golf course. I could have cried ….If only my own parents had had the foresight to attempt to protect what was there then their grandchildren may have enjoyed the simplicity of an open, untainted and uninhabited space. Its gone now and they are not giving it back.

By: bob dootson

bob dootson — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:43:32 +0000

I see that those who don’t have a clue as to what it’s all about, are shaking their rattles and throwing their dummies out of the pram.
What the hell has age got to do with it, maybe it’s a schoolboy rant seeking attention.
Have I missed something, “did the Council get found guilty of maladministration by the Ombudsman?”

By: David

David — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:53:51 +0000

Nope. Under 50, thanks.

By: mark

mark — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:07:36 +0000

What a sad bunch of nimby complainers. Get a life and let people get on with theirs. I bet you are all over 50 and just jealous that go-ape and their customers might be actually enjoying their lives.

By: Alan

Alan — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:58:05 +0000

Firstly let me say i have absolutely no axe to grind on this matter but feel this arguement is a touch un balanced.
I have travelled quite a lot and have a host of experience in life…secondly on the grounds of right and wrong I hope the friends of the park have been or will be successful.Because safeguards have been overlooked (by sounds of it with a hidden agenda)
For those who keep harping on about hedonism, how many of you would be in arms if the local council gave permission for a textile free park (naked/naturist) next to your local primary school ?
much of my life I was in the western isles and we openly welcomed other facilities of any kind there (sorry guys we had areas of OUTSTANDING BEAUTY there the term the home office has used not just flippantly handed to it by any tom dick or harry….on the other hand I don’t see the neccessity of building this zip line complex in that location there are many pre industral areas near public transport links that could be used and developed to the advantage of the area it was put in.
As in many of these arguements and heated comments a little standing back and thinking would make these arguements less heated and more productive

By: Ann Jones

Ann Jones — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:29:15 +0000

Thanks Ed for your response and would ask you to note that I do not speak for the Friends of Lever Park.
Mine is a personal objection and has always been that Go-Ape is in the wrong location. I do not object to Go-Ape per se, they are a successful and fast growing business giving pleasure to many and employment to some. I appealed to the Ombudsman because Chorley Borough Council used delegated powers to approve the application thus giving no-one the opportunity to object or have a debate of any kind. In a democracy this is unfair. I do not say that the outcome of the application would have been any different if it had gone to full Committee but at least we would have had the chance to marshall support from the people of Bolton and other environmental bodies
Chorley Borough Council denied us this opportunity and have been found guilty of maladministration by the Ombudsman. They have tried, in the press, to minimise this by saying it was “administrative errors which would be tightened up”. That doesn’t alter the fact that we were presented with a fait accompli and no matter what your point of view, in a democracy, this is unacceptable.

By: bob dootson

bob dootson — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:43:19 +0000

Ed.
Your last word “Democracy”. That’s what started it, but try telling that to the planning department who conveniently forgot forgot to send out neighbour consultation letters as required under their constitution, and also forgot that anything over 1 hectare cannot be delegated and must go to full committee.
Anyone can make a mistake, but not on this scale.
No one will ever know the reason as to why the Council ignored all the rules and regulations, fortunatly the Ombudsman accepted all the evidence put before her and delivered her decision against the Council. It didn’t help Chorley’s case by using hearsay as evidence for their defence.
Seeing that you are a democratic person, how would you react if you asked for something under “The Freedom of Information Act” and recieved a document that had been altered to cover up previous errors.
Would you accept this document as fact, or would you make an attempt to find out the reason for it’s production?, please don’t insult my intelligence by saying you would accept a document knowing it had been falsified.
You mention about winning the debate, how could jo public win the debate when they where excluded from participating by the ruling bodies within the planning department.
If it had gone to full committee with proper consultation, and the application had been successful, that would have been the end of it as far as I’m concerned. Believe you me, I have far better things to do with my life.
Like yourself, I believe in democracy and debate, but there was something wrong with the way this application was dealt with, even councillors have expressed concern.
I’ll finish by stating that you are are bang out of order by insinuating that I have a problem with Go-Ape. You couldn’t be further from the truth, you obviously don’t know me.

By: Ed Page

Ed Page — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:43:39 +0000

Sorry, forgot to mention. I have no axe to grind on this either way. I stumbled across the report in the Bolton Evening News and it raised my interest. I don’t have connections with Go Ape, CBC or any other party involved. I admire the tenacity you have shown but, as you can see, we’re at odd’s over values and ideas. I’ll leave my points there and let you get on with it. Good luck chaps – and I hope the only winner in this is democracy.