TAMESIDE Council is ready to work with those who wanted to save the conservatory at Stamford Park.
As The Correspondent revealed, demolition of the structure first built in 1907 and gifted by John Nield is starting, five years after permission to do so was granted.
That has sparked a reaction from members of the public who wanted it to remain.
However, the authority says it is willing to liaise with campaigners over what happens next to the area, with a garden mentioned when permission was granted in 2019.
It also told the group was not looking to repair the structure, the vast majority of which is about 40-years-old.
The huge costs of keeping it and bringing it back into use were also revealed, as well as the need to act now.
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “We know how hard the John Nield Group have worked during their six-year journey trying to establish a plan to rebuild and run the site.
“We do very much value their efforts and want to work with them.
“It is worth noting the group have confirmed to us that it was not their intention to repair the existing building, which replaced the original structure some 40 years ago.
“We will continue to support their work in any way we can as they pursue their ambitions for the site.
“An independent condition survey carried out in November 2023 by Graham and Sibbald confirmed that the building is unsafe and should be demolished for safety reasons.
“They also estimated that reconstruction costs were likely to be more than £620,000.
“Even though it has been fenced off, break-ins continue to occur and there have been at least two arson attacks on the structure – one taking place with the fire service attending over this last Bank Holiday weekend, when families were in the park.
“This has left the conservatory as a hazard to unauthorised occupants as well as park-users
“It is a situation Tameside Council cannot ignore as we have a duty of care and legal liability to make sure the building is a danger to no-one.
“Consequently, there is no option other than to now demolish the structure.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the John Nield Group on the next phase of their project.”
There was a news article recently saying how amazing Stamford park is yet now we see this derelict building being knocked down. To be honest the money could be better spent so maybe it’s for the best. Maybe the local scallywags can help by smashing all the windows up before it’s demolished.