AN ARMY of Prestwich residents has stepped up the battle to stop city planners steamrolling plans through to build new car park entrances at Heaton Park.

Around 30 people from the St Margaret's Road area besieged a meeting of the Prestwich Area Board on Tuesday (June 19), vowing to keep their fight alive for the park proposals to be turfed out.

Householders have branded the widening of the St Margaret's Road entrance as "motoring madness".

They rallied for support from members of the area board to object to the plans by Manchester City Council to enlarge the existing entrance on St Margaret's Road and to create a new one on Sheepfoot Lane.

Following a motion to support the residents' concerns by Councillor Vic D'Albert and formally lodging opposition to the proposals, board members pledged to speak out on their behalf.

The controversy was sparked last year after city planners announced a £6.5 million scheme to upgrade the park supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Neighbouring residents argued that to make the St Margaret's entrance the main access point into the park would create serious traffic problems and pose a greater threat to their safety. But in April this year Manchester, which owns the parkland, was prepared to approve the application subject to it being referred to the Secretary of State and further discussions with Bury Council surrounding the need for highway improvements if the work was to go ahead.

The Secretary of State has responded that he does not wish to intervene and Bury is awaiting mitigation measures over the road from Manchester's planners.

An application to widen the entrance has been submitted to Bury Council and a petition of 600 names opposing the plan sent to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

One protester said at the meeting, held at Sedgley Park CP School, on Tuesday night: "There will be 1,000 cars an hour using St Margaret's Road if this goes ahead. It is absolutely crazy. It's madness.

"Why Manchester refuses to look at the possibility of building an entrance on Middleton Road is beyond me."

Another campaigner said: "We are hoping Bury will look after its residents and kick out any application.

"This plan will be detrimental to the residents and it is disgusting the way Manchester has dealt with it."

Chairman of the area board, Coun Gill Campbell, said the committee would write to Bury's planning committee and executive committee expressing the views of the residents.

She said the board would also ask the executive committee to write back to the Secretary of State and voice their concerns to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Coun Campbell added: "I wholly agree and sympathise with the residents' concerns and will endeavour to carry out their request as soon as possible before any more decisions are made."